LeBron James feels Kobe Bryant was the happiest he had ever been following his retirement from basketball, as it allowed him to devote time to his family.Bryant ended his 20-year NBA career in 2016 at the age of 38, having won five titles with the Lakers. The NBA legend spent Brian Piccolo Jersey much of his post-playing days with his wife and fourchildren before his death on Sunday. The 41-year-old, along withhis 13-year-old daughter Gianna, was one of nine peoplekilled in a helicopter crashin California.MORE:James knows all too wellthe sacrifices that have to be made to reach the top, as he explained to themedia after the127-119 lo s against theTrail Blazers."These last three years, out of all the succe s he had five rings, multiple MVPs, All-Star Game MVP of this league, first team for all-life, all-world, all-basketball felt like these last three years were the happiest I've ever seen him," James said of Bryant. Brian Urlacher Jersey "Being able to just be with his daughters, be with his family, because when we're playing this game of basketball, we give so much to it. This is my 17th year, so I know."Unfortunately, your family comes to the wayside at times, because when you want to be great at something, when you want to be the best at something, you become so driven that you won't let anything stand in the way of it. Not even your own family sometimes. We get compared all the time to greatne s, and that makes us even more driven and shadowed away from our own family. That's the difficult part that we deal with as profe sional athletes and when you want to be great.""It felt like David Montgomery Jersey these last three years was the happiest I've ever seen him."Lebron speaks on Kobe and the cost of greatne s. SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) Prior to Friday night's game, for roughly four minutes as Jeremiah Attaochu Jersey part of the Lakers' tribute to Bryant. He spoke about the importance of Laker Nation sticking together as a family, and he echoed that sentiment later in his postgame comments."But, at the end of the day, we all punch our clocks," James said. "Either we're done for the day, or done doing what we are doing, but just make sure you hug the sout of your family. If you've got kids, tell them you love them. Try to make it to as much as you can, and don'tfeel bad if you happen to go to one of your loved one'sevents, or something like that, and sacrifice your job."I didn'tfeel bad in Boston when I went to go and see my son two hours away in Springfieldand wehad a game that night and got our a s kicked. I didn't feel bad Artie Burns Jersey at all."Just make sure you hug the s--- out of your family. If you got kids, tell your kids you love them. Try to make it to as much as you can.LeBron James while talking about Kobe and tonights emotions ESPN (@espn)