LeBron James says he is 'heartbroken and devastated' after Kobe Bryant's death

LeBron James has taken to social media to express his grief at the tragic death of his friend and mentor, Kobe Bryant, and admits that he is devastated and heartbroken

The Los Angeles Lakers superstar poured his heart out in an Instagram post on Monday. He paid tribute to Bryant in a lengthy post, where he shared pictures of the happy memories he shared with the fellow NBA icon.

"I'm Not Ready but here I go. Man I 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 wrote.

He revealed that prior to Bryant's untimely passing, they had talked on the phone before he left Philly to return to L.A. James expressed his disbelief that it was their last conversation.

"Didn't think for one bit in a million years that would be the last conversation we'd have. WTF!!," the 35-year old wrote, adding that he is "heartbroken and devastated."

"Man I love you big bro. My heart goes to Vanessa and the kids. I promise you I'll continue your legacy man! You mean so much to us all here especially #LakerNation and it's my responsibility to put this s**t on my back and keep it going!!" James concluded.

The NBA star wrote that there is still a lot that he wants to say but he is too emotional to say it right now. Instead, he bid Bryant farewell and wrote, "until we meet again my brother," and added the hashtags #Mamba4Life and #Gigi4Life.

Bryant's last tweet before his death was a message of praise for James for surpassing him in the No.3 spot on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

The retired NBA player was among the casualties of a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday. His 13-year-old daughter, Gigi, also perished in the crash along with seven other passengers. A said leaked footage of the crash shows the helicopter spiraling out of control as it went down and burst into flames. There were no survivors.

Ahead of his Instagram post for Bryant, James was seen arriving at LAX with his team looking visibly heartbroken. He was seen crying while friends hugged him for comfort.