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"From sharing the same bday to opponents to teammates..."

Jeremy Lin has paid tribute to Kobe Bryant who died in a helicopter crash at the age of 41.

Bryant and eight other passengers were killed yesterday when the helicopter en-route to Mamba Sports Academy crashed.

The former Los Angeles Lakers legend’s 13-year-old daughter Gigi was among the passengers killed.

Lin, who scored his NBA career-high 38 points against Bryant in 2012, played with Bryant during his stint with the Lakers between 2014 and 2015.

On Twitter, Lin appeared shocked upon learning the news of Bryant’s sudden demise. “Uhhhh. Noooo…life is too precious. RIP Kobe 🙏🏼” He wrote.

A few hours later, Lin posted a picture of himself with Bryant on court taken during Lin’s time with the New York Knicks. Another picture showing the pair both in Lakers kits was also shared.

“RIP Kobe 🙏🏼🙏🏼 From sharing the same bday to opponents to teammates…respect for everything you did for the game and world. Gone too soon, lifes truly too precious #legend” Lin wrote.

When Lin hit his career high, Bryant said of the Asian American star at the time, “players playing that well don’t usually come out of nowhere. It seems like they come out of nowhere, but if you can go back and take a look, his skill level was probably there from the beginning. It probably just went unnoticed.”

Last year Lin joined the Beijing Ducks after becoming the first Asian American NBA Champion with the Toronto Raptors.