(L-R) Jonah Hill, Jordan Feldstein and Kobe Bryant. Images: Instagram/@jonahhill, AFP/Robyn Beck
Jonah Hill looked back on when he and his late brother, Jordan Feldstein, met Kobe Bryant, in light of the athlete’s death on Jan. 26.
Bryant died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas in California, United States. Feldstein lost his life due to a heart attack in 2017, People reported in December of the same year.
The actor uploaded photos of him with the basketball star and his brother on Instagram last Thursday, Jan. 30. The pictures show Hill beside the two men at a Los Angeles Lakers game when Bryant was still an active player for the team.
Referring to his photo with Bryant, Hill said, “This picture became a funny internet thing years back and it always made me laugh when I’d see memes of it.”
“I used to love ‘on purpose, very awkward photos’ whenever I was around someone I respected and this is about as comically awkward as it gets,” he added. “Ah, your early 20s. It’s a dumb bit but I really liked it at the time.”
Hill explained that he was hesitant to post the picture because it was “usually connected to humor.” However, it represented “a LOT more” for the actor.
“I’m sitting next to my brother and he’s taking this,” he said. “It was the night we both met Kobe and he was so nice to us.”
Hill noted how Bryant was “so funny, so amazing and so kind” even in the middle of a basketball game he was a part of. The brothers grew up worshipping the Lakers, which is why they got seats next to Bryant and the team the day the photo was taken.
“We were literally buzzing with excitement to meet our hero and it’s one of my favorite memories ever,” the actor recalled.
He described the encounter as his favorite memory with his brother before noting that Feldstein and Bryant have both passed away.
“I have been staring at this photo for days in disbelief and sadness and joy,” the actor said. “It’s my favorite picture and I think it represents for me, all of the hard and amazing things in life and how fleeting they are.”
“I’ve been thinking a lot about saying Rest In Peace and what that means,” he added. “But I don’t think Kobe or my brother are resting.”
“I think they’re hustling up there. Working hard and getting shit done,” Hill said. “Cuz that’s what they do.”
He then expressed his love for the ones left behind after the two men’s deaths. Hill also told his followers to “take care of each other and love each other,” stressing that it is a lesson he has learned. Ryan Arcadio/JB
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