Draymond Green posts emotional message following loss of Kobe Bryant

Draymond Green went to Instagram to post a heartfelt message in regards to the loss of NBA legend Kobe Bryant.

Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, along with seven others, tragically passed away in a fatal helicopter crash in Calabasas, California, on Sunday morning. The loss of a basketball icon like Bryant has caused an outpour of emotion from players across the league.

The teams in action on Sunday, following Bryant’s death, honored him by taking a 24-second violation to start the game as chants of “Kobe” echoed through arenas across the NBA.

The home of the Warriors, the Chase Center in San Francisco, doesn’t host a game until February 8. In the meantime, Golden State’s home dedicated its outdoor video monitor in honor of Bryant.

Players not in game-action went to social media to pay their respect to Bryant and his family. Stephen Curry, along with several other current members of the Golden State Warriors, chimed in with tributes to the late legend.

Draymond Green, who used Twitter to react to the news of Bryant’s death initially, later went on Instagram to send a heartfelt message about the five-time NBA champion.

On Monday morning, Green used Instagram to share his thoughts on the passing of a “big brother” figure.

View this post on Instagram

I’ve waited and waited with hope that this bad dream would end and I never had to make this post. Hoping that someone would report that it wasn’t You in that helicopter like they initially thought. I went to sleep on the couch yesterday while they talked about you on TV. I thought I’d wake up and the story would be gone. Only to wake up to more details of you being GONE. Kobe, I thank you for being the person that you were, the big brother that you were. Not only to myself but to many others. You left a legacy that’ll NEVER be forgotten. We lost one of the good guys. I’ll continue to pray for the Bryant family as well as all the other families affected by this horrific tragedy! RIP BEAN #GoneTooSoon

A post shared by Draymond Green (@money23green) on

Golden State will start a five-game road swing on Tuesday in Bryant’s hometown of Philadelphia before returning to the Bay Area with the chance to honor him against his former club. The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Warriors on February 8 in their first game back in San Francisco following the road trip.