NBA Sources Cast Doubt On LeBron James Attending Kobe Bryant's Memorial

After the passing of Kobe and Gianna Bryant in 2020, the Los Angeles Lakers organized a massive memorial, complete with emotional speeches and video tributes for the Lakers legend. LeBron James was allegedly in attendance that day but opted not to be filmed for the sake of privacy. Now, however, that claim is being challenged by Pablo Torre, who has launched his own private investigation.

"We talked to eight sources who are directly familiar with the situation to get to the bottom of the mystery that has been hiding, allegedly in plain sight. I'm just investigating these claims on a factual basis, I'm not here to talk about motives."

Keep in mind that there's no video or photo proof that LeBron was there that night. The biggest piece of evidence that he even showed up was a shoutout from Diana Taurasi, who appeared to gesture in his direction when she mentioned him in her speech. The problem is, alternative angles from that moment do not show LeBron and Taurasi herself has denied ever laying eyes on him at the memorial.

"We looked at multiple angles of the broadcast, of that very direction at various points of the broadcast. No visible LeBron in the photography, and then I confirmed with multiple sources that Diana Taurasi never saw LeBron James at the memorial that day."

Next, Torre discredits the claim that James chose not to be filmed during the event. According to various sources (including the producer of the event), there was no directive to keep LeBron from the camera that night.

"We talked to a lead producer on the memorial, and the producer told us when we asked him, 'The off-camera thing is bullsh*t.'"

Even if James was serious about not showing himself to the cameras that day, somebody would have seen him show up. The NBA legend has a knack for drawing attention, and yet many people who helped organize the memorial never laid eyes on him.

"We can further tell you that according to two additional independent high-level sources involved with planning the event who were in attendance, they did not see LeBron in the rebuilding. They don't know of a single person who did see him in the building."

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant were not particularly close, but they had mutual respect for each other. As a Laker, LeBron was expected to show up and support the LA legend, but now there are doubts if he was even there.

"One of the sources who spent that morning in the VIP areas says of LeBron: 'There's no f**king way he was there, if he was there, was Casper the Ghost.'"

Only LeBron James can confirm where he was that day, but it's always been weird that he never spoke or made a statement in the whole event. From Vanessa Bryant and Michael Jordan to Sabrina Ionescu and Jimmy Kimmel, many iconic celebrities took the mic that night in honor of Kobe. For whatever reason, LeBron was not among them.

Five years later, Kobe's memorial shouldn't be a topic of conversation, but it's in the headlines once again after Stephen A. Smith blasted the Lakers star for not showing up. Smith ended up retracting that statement, but there's no evidence to show he was wrong. 

Whether or not LeBron was really there, we know how he felt about Bryant. They faced off several times over the years, and they always had immense respect for each other's games and careers. To this day, LeBron gets emotional when he talks about Bryant's passing.

Fortunately, LeBron has already brought honor to Kobe's legacy by leading the Lakers to a championship a few months after the accident. James is still leading the franchise today, and Kobe would be proud of where they stand as the fourth-best team in the West.