The NBA was dealt a massive blow on Sunday afternoon when Kobe Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash.
The shocking death of the 41-year-old NBA legend prompted an outpouring of emotion from a number of Boston-based athletes. But perhaps one of the most touching ones came from former Boston Celtics center Kendrick Perkins.
Perkins reached out to Kevin Durant on Twitter and sent him a message of love in hopes of ending a Twitter beef that had taken place between the two in recent weeks. Here's a look at his Twitter message to Durant.
In an exclusive phone interview with NBC Sports Boston, Perkins opened up about exactly why Kobe's death prompted him to send that message to Durant.
"I'm not about to let that go another day down the drain behind a B.S. Twitter beef that's not called for," Perkins said to NBC Sports Boston's Gary Tanguay. "And our brotherhood, our friendship is more valuable."
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Perkins also hoped his message to Durant would inspire others to bury the hatchet with anyone they were having problems with but still loved.
"And I also wanted the world to see, hey, if you having problems with a loved one, a friend, a family member, whoever, hey. Life is too short. The next 60 seconds is not promised. Nip that in the bud and heal those wounds with those people that you love and get past it. That's what I wanted to do," Perkins said. "And I wanted to reach out to KD to let him know like, I love you bro. And I'm not afraid to let the world see that I love you."
Durant has yet to respond to Perkins, but the two former teammates -- and brothers, as Perkins noted -- will likely reconcile. And in a way, that's a beautiful way to tribute Bryant's untimely and tragic passing.
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