- Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday alongside seven others.
- "Today is one of the saddest days in my lifetime. It seems like a bad dream that you just want to wake up from," Wade said on Sunday. "It's a nightmare."
- He added: "You're a legend, a icon, a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a friend. Thank you for being my friend. I love you, brother."
- Wade and Bryant came up against eachother in the NBA numerous times during Bryant's 20-year career, and werealso USA teammates at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
Dwyane Wade paid a tearful tribute to the late Kobe Bryant on Instagram.
Wade/Bryant
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Dwyane Wade cried in an Instagram video in which he paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, describing the former NBA star's death as a "bad dream that you just want to wake up from."
Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter crash Calabasas, California on Sunday.
Homages to the 41-year-old have since poured in from across the sports world, including from Wade, who played against Bryant numerous times during his 20-year NBA career with the Los Angeles Lakers.
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The pair were also teammates for the USA whenthey won gold at the 2008 Olympics in Bejing.
"Today is one of the saddest days in my lifetime," Wade said in his Instagram story.
"It seems like a bad dream that you just want to wake up from. It's a nightmare. I know you're all feeling the same way about such a great leader, a great champion, a great person.
"If you got a chance to know Kobe, to really know Kobe, there ain't nobody better, man. Emotions all over the place, these are the moments when you ask why."
Wade went on to detail how he and his family have collectively mourned their close friend's death by sharing memories with eachother.
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"My heart and thoughts go out to Kobe's family, his daughter Gigi. It's a sad day, there's no way around it. My family and I have been sharing Kobe stories. We've got so many moments that he's given us and we're so thankful for those moments.
"I'm thankful for those moments, he's one of my favorite players and I got to have a relationship, a friendship. I will miss him, I will miss the friendship. I said it many times, Kobe retired from the game of basketball, he left a hole in the game of basketball, he left a hole in my wanting to play because when I came in the league I chased him. That's who I chased, I wanted to be respected by him, and when I reached that level I knew I did something."
He added: "Kobe, man, thank you for all the memories, we've got a lot of good ones, and these tears that we're crying, we're going to miss you. It's not going to go. It's not leaving today, a week from now, a month from now, a year from now, we will forever miss you, man. You're a legend, a icon, a father, a husband, a son, a brother, a friend.
"Thank you for being my friend. I love you, brother."
Wade later uploaded four posts about Bryant, one of which pictured the two playing against eachother, and included the caption: "Earning your respect meant everything."
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He also changed his profile picture to a photo of Bryant and Gianna.
Bryant was the third all-time scorer in the NBA and won five division championships, the latest of which came 2010. He retired from basketball in 2016.
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