LeBron James jots heartfelt message to late Kobe Bryant

 American professional basketball player LeBron James has broken his silence after the death of his counterpart and friend Kobe Bryant.

The superstar of  the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association  poured his heart out admitting he was a having hard time dealing with the loss.

"I am heartbroken and devastated my brother.." he said.

Through a heartbreaking emotional Instagram post, LeBron promised to continue with Kobe's legacy in basketball.

"I promise you I'll continue your legacy man. You mean so much to us all here especially at #Lakernation. and it's my responsibility to put this on my back and keep it going," he said.

His post on Monday night  was accompanied by  a series of candid photos of him and Kobe showing  how close they were.

They always referred to each other as 'brother'.

"Please give me the strength from the heavens above and watch over me. I got US here," he said.

Kobe Bryant was ‘one of the most extraordinary players’ in the history of basketball who ‘inspired people around the world’ to play the game.

The 41-year-old died in a helicopter crash in California on Sunday along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Bryant, who retired in 2016 after a 20-year career with the LA Lakers, was a five-time NBA champion and was named an NBA All-Star 18 times.

He and his wife, Vanessa, have three other daughters — Natalia, Bianca and Capri.

Kobe became the second NBA all-time scorers after Michel Jordan and on Saturday night, LeBron had rose to the position.

The two had a special relationship and Kobe took to to twitter to congratulate him.

James has scored 33,655 points throughout his career. Bryant scored 33,643.

"Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames," Bryant tweeted on the night before the accident. "Much respect my brother."

“The NBA family is devastated by the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver on Monday.

“For 20 seasons, Kobe showed us what is possible when remarkable talent blends with an absolute devotion to winning. He was one of the most extraordinary players in the history of our game with accomplishments that are legendary.”

Octavia Spencer, Chrissy Teigen and Nick Jonas were among the celebrities who have also shared their disbelief on social media. Spencer took to Twitter, writing, "RIP Kobe! My thoughts and prayers are wirh [sic] your family."