Rob Pelinka Reveals Final Text Message Kobe Bryant Sent Him
Rob Pelinka revealed the final text message Kobe Bryant sent him prior to his fatal helicopter crash on January 26.
The Los Angeles Lakers general manager was known for being Bryant’s agent, but what few people were aware of was that they were also best friends.
On Monday, Pelinka appeared at Bryant’s memorial at Staples Center to honor his friend.
Bryant perished in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others.
Pelinka shared a number of truly touching anecdotes regarding Bryant, as well as the final text message he received from the Lakers star prior to the helicopter accident.
Rob Pelinka, Lakers GM and Kobe Bryant’s former agent, said he received a text from Bryant shortly before his helicopter crashed #KobeFarewell https://t.co/ww51ZxTqzn pic.twitter.com/6KcJB3UNtW
— Variety (@Variety) February 24, 2020
Right before Bryant’s untimely death, he fired off a text to Pelinka asking if he knew of any baseball agents that could help the surviving daughter of another one of the victims of the helicopter accident, John Altobelli, get an internship in the field.
Altobelli was a college baseball coach. His wife and 14-year-old daughter Alyssa were also killed in the crash.
“Kobe’s last human act was heroic,” Pelinka noted.
Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal and of course Vanessa Bryant also spoke at the memorial.
Each offered their own touching stories and anecdotes about Bryant and what he meant to their lives.
Related: Vanessa Bryant Sues For Wrongful Death Over Kobe’s Passing
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
