Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan bond proven in touching line from ‘The Last Dance'

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ESPN’s extremely anticipated documentary series on the 1997-98 Bulls, “The Last Dance,” is less than a week away and has a star-studded interview cast, including a post-mortem appearance from Kobe Bryant.

Bryant was included in a trailer that premiered on Christmas Eve, so we knew he would be in the series, but Richard Deitsch of The Athletic has already viewed the first eight episodes and got some extra info from those involved in production. Apparently, Bryant finished a scene for the documentary in mid-January, about a week before his death on Jan. 26, as told by director Jason Hehir.

RELATED: Michael Jordan delivers heart-wrenching eulogy for Kobe Bryant

“To hear Kobe in that scene say he’s (Michael) like my big brother, and then to have Michael give that famous speech that he gave at Kobe’s memorial service, saying, ‘Rest in peace, little brother,’ it just shows you how genuine that relationship was between the two of them," Hehir said. "That scene is so much more poignant now and it was such a cool scene to begin with.”

Jordan’s speech at Bryant’s memorial at the Staples Center on Feb. 24 started off with a line about how Bryant was like a little brother to him.

“Maybe it would surprise people that Kobe and I are very close friends,” Jordan said then. “Kobe was my dear friend. He was like a little brother.”

To have Bryant deliver a line about Jordan being like a big brother to him just days before he died in a helicopter crash is chilling stuff.

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