Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan were always known to have a good relationship. The late Los Angeles Lakers legend was always vocal of his admiration towards Jordan.

The upcoming documentary on Jordan- The Last Dance- seems to be giving another instance of their mutual admiration, at least according to its director Jason Hehir. Bryant’s appearance in the trailer confirmed that he had a part to play in the documentary. He finished a scene about a week before his death in January.

“To hear Kobe in that scene say he’s (Michael) like my big brother, and then to have Michael give that famous speech that he gave at Kobe’s memorial service, saying, ‘Rest in peace, little brother,’ it just shows you how genuine that relationship was between the two of them,” Hehir said. “That scene is so much more poignant now and it was such a cool scene to begin with.”

After the death of Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan talked about the close relationship

Hehir was referring to Jordan’s statement immediately after Bryant passed away. Almost a month after the incident, Jordan further explained their close relationship, talking at a memorial service in Los Angeles.

“When Kobe Bryant died, a piece of me died,” he said. “Maybe it surprised people … but we were very close friends. Everyone always wanted to talk about the comparisons between him and I. I just wanted to talk about Kobe.”

“At first, it was an aggravation. “But then it turned into a certain passion. This kid had passion like you would never know … As I got to know him, I wanted to be the best big brother that I could be.”