MANILA - NBA superstar LeBron James just got an indelible personal memorial for his late friend Kobe Bryant.

In an Instagram post, James showed his new tattoo dedicated to his "brother": Bryant's jersey numbers 8 and 24, with the basketball icon's signature "black mamba."

He posted this alongside a picture of him leaning on Bryant's shoulder when they played for the US national team.

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A post shared by LeBron James (@kingjames) on Jan 31, 2020 at 4:21pm PST

Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash on January 26 (US time) in Calabasas, California, an accident that also killed his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. Seven others perished in the tragedy.

• All 9 bodies recovered from Kobe Bryant helicopter crash site

James broke his silence on the death of Bryant Tuesday, saying he was "heartbroken and devastated."

"I'm sitting here trying to write something for this post, but every time I try, I begin crying again just thinking about you, niece Gigi, and the friendship/bond/brotherhood we had," James said.

It was reported that the evening before the accident, Bryant had called James after the Los Angeles Lakers' game against the Philadelphia 76ers, which saw James pass Bryant for third place in the NBA's all-time scoring list.

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