For the last week, Kobe Bryant’s shocking death has been mourned by fans, friends, and fellow athletes across the world. Everyone is commemorating the basketball player in their own way. Lil Wayne added a moment of silence on his recent album Funeral, while Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth performed “See You Again” in his honor at a Lakers game. Kid Rock, however, is remembering Bryant’s life is his own, problematic way. Rather than an obligatory heartfelt post or tribute performance, the musician decided to remember the late athlete by naming his rifle after him then subsequently killing a deer in his honor.
Rock was on a hunting trip with Donald Trump Jr. when news of Bryant’s death broke. He said that he rode a helicopter the same day the one Bryant was in crashed, causing his death. So the singer decided that the best way to remember Byrant would be shooting a buck in his honor. Kid Rock shared his story on Instagram.
“The gun I used to hunt was nicknamed “The Black Mamba” – I only met Kobe Bryant in passing a few times but really enjoyed watching him play and respected his work ethic,” he wrote, pointing out the gun reflected Bryant’s nickname. Rock then ended his post by giving his condolences to the family members of the other victims in the helicopter crash.
Rock is no stranger to controversy. Back in November, he went on a drunken rant, spewing comments about how he doesn’t like Oprah. Before that, he made vulgar comments about Taylor Swift on Twitter. His past behavior has made it clear that he’s a little out of touch with best practices in a world where celebrity’s actions are recorded and plastered across the internet.
