Dave Chappelle says he 'cried like a baby' when Kobe Bryant died on the same day he won a Grammy
- Dave Chappelle released a surprise special entitled "8:46" on Thursday night.
- In the special, Chappelle addressed the life and death of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
- Chappelle said he "cried like a baby" the night Kobe died, adding that it was the reason he skipped the Grammys.
Dave Chappelle released a powerful new special entitled "8:46" on Netflix late Thursday night.
The surprise special, which is available for free on the platform's comedy YouTube channel, was filmed less than a week before it made its debut.
At one point during the special, Chappelle discusses the life and death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash along with his daughter Gianna and seven other passengers in January.
Chappelle first spoke about Bryant's final game as a Laker when he scored 60 points and brought the Staples Center to its feet one final time. Three months later, five police officers were killed at a protest in Dallas. In his special, Chappelle seems to remember the two nights as one, and misremembers the number of officers killed but speaks to a larger point of sports offering relief in a time of national distress.
"The night that those nine police officers were killed felt like the end of the world. The only reason that it wasn't the end of the world, in my opinion, is because at the very same time that was happening, Kobe Bryant was playing his last game as an LA Laker," Chappelle said. "And as scary as all that s--- was, I kept flipping back to see if Kobe would drop 60. And he did. Oh, and he did. And vaguely in the back of my mind, I remember that idiot-a-- b---- telling somebody to shut up and dribble. And I watch this n---- dribbling, and saving this god-damned country from itself."
From there, Chappelle gave his thoughts on Bryant's death.
"I loved Kobe Bryant. He died, the night, the day I won a Grammy, he died," Chappelle said. "That's why I didn't show up at the Grammys. Because Kobe died. They had both of his f------ jersey numbers hanging up, 8, 24. That's my birthday. I cried like a baby."
You can watch Chappelle's special in its entirety here.
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