Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao joined millions of fans who paid tribute to basketball legend Kobe Bryant’s first death anniversary Wednesday through short posts on his social media account.
“Remembering Kobe #mambaforever,” Pacquiao wrote on his Twitter and Instagram pages with a picture of him meeting Bryant during one of his sparring sessions.
Read: Reminiscing the Black Mamba: Tributes pour a year after Kobe Bryant’s death
Both Pacquiao and Bryant have been fans of each other. In fact, one of Bryant’s signature shoes was actually inspired by watching Pacquiao train.
Bryant perished with eight others including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26 (Jan. 27 in Manila) in Calabasas, California while on their way to his Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks.