LeBron James made it a point to extend a cordial welcome to some distinguished visitors during the NBA All-Star Game.

The 38-year-old NBA icon paused to greet the daughters of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who were seated courtside and accompanied their mother, Vanessa Bryant, to the event.

James embraced Natalia Bryant, 19, and Bianka Bella, 6, both enthusiastically, while Capri, 3, reclined meekly in Natalia’s wake. Following that, he arranged a photo with the three young ladies, Capri of whom was seated on her sister’s knee and averted her face from the camera.

Vanessa and the late Lakers star shared the girls with Gianna, who also passed away at the age of 13, in addition to the girls themselves. Their mother was in attendance to witness Pau Gasol, a close family friend and comrade, receive the 2023 Kobe & Gigi Bryant WNBA Advocacy Award.”I am ecstatic that Pau has been selected to be the recipient of this accolade. Vanessa, 40, Chair of the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to giving a positive impact to underserved athletes and boys and girls in sports, said in a statement regarding the honor, “Pau has done so much to promote women and girls in sports and cares deeply about spreading a message of equality, which was so important to Kobe and Gianna.”

“We are grateful to the WNBA and Pau for continuing to honor Kobe and Gianna in this way,” according to her.

James, who along with his wife Savannah James and Kobe had a daughter named Zhuri, eight, and sons Bryce, fifteen, and Bronny, eighteen, shared a momentous occasion the evening prior to the catastrophic helicopter accident that claimed the lives of both Kobe and Gianna, in addition to seven others.

James surpassed Bryant for third place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list during a game between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; it was a defining moment in his career.

For the performance that evening, James adorned himself in footwear designed as a tribute to the legendary Lakers player. Later, Bryant posted an Instagram message in which she congratulated James on the achievement.

“Now for number two, @kingjames! “Continue to develop the game and plan for the future,” Kobe wrote.