Would’ve been an awesome conversation to have…

LeBron James and Kobe Bryant’s friendship is without a doubt one of the most heartwarming and special in all of NBA history, the two’s legacies forever linked through the unique ways in which they both pushed and helped reinvent the game. Now, their legacies are linked another way, with LeBron recently getting the Lakers to a NBA final, the first time L.A. has made it since Kobe Bryant carried them there.

Reflecting on the milestone, Bron got deep about it all, including a certain regret he had regarding Kobe. Specifically, LeBron was meant to have a meeting with Kobe about the Lakers, the city of Los Angeles and his own expectations when he first started on the team. But, scheduling conflicts stopped both legends from being able to sit down together.

Speaking on the missing meeting, Bron said “Of course, you think there’s going to be time for us to get together and I understand that there are regrets in life, but I definitely wish I had that moment with him.”

Bron opened up on what he would’ve said to the Lakers legend, explaining his early worries about winning over the Lakers faithful, stating “I would have definitely loved to get that side of what it takes, what does it take to win over Laker faithful or how can I make them appreciate my game. That would have been something to pick his brain on.”

“And then probably talk about us never meeting in the Finals. Just apologizing to him. In f—ing ’09 when I lost to Dwight Howard, that would have been a great conversation for sure. You know, just to be like, we didn’t give the people what they wanted. We didn’t give them what they wanted.”

He also shared a super cool story of a text Kobe sent to him upon his signing to the Lakers, explaining “I do remember when I decided to come here, he sent me a text right away and said, ‘Welcome, brother. Welcome to the family’. That was a special moment because at the time, Laker faithful wasn’t fully in on me. A lot of people were saying, ‘Well, we might not want LeBron at this point in his career’ and, ‘Is he right? Is he going to get us back [to the Finals]?’ So to hear from him and get his stamp of approval, it meant a lot. I don’t ever question myself, but when it’s coming from Kobe, it definitely meant a lot.”

Kobe would definitely be proud of Bron, who properly dug deep against the Nuggets last week to come through with a 38-point, 16-rebound, and 10-assist triple-double to get the Lakers to the finals. Here’s hoping he can get that ring to complete the story. Check out this video of the two embracing at a game for a gorgeous dose of nostalgia.