Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 Recalls Going Bowling With Kobe Bryant: ‘Cool Night'

Mark Hoppus also showed off the Los Angeles Lakers jersey that Bryant signed for him.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - AUGUST 04: Mark Hoppus of Blink-182 performs onstage during Lollapalooza at Grant Park on August 04, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois.
Natasha Moustache/Getty Images

Blink-182 frontman Mark Hoppus remembered NBA icon Kobe Bryant in an Instagram post five years after his tragic death.

On Monday (June 16), Hoppus posted a picture on Instagram of a Los Angeles Lakers jersey that Bryant signed, along with a backstory of the moment. "One time Kobe invited us to go bowling for his charity foundation," Hoppus wrote of the experience with Blink-182. "We played a set on the lanes and Andy Garcia stopped me in the men’s room to say he liked our band. Cool night. Thanks for including us, Kobe."

The post received emotional reactions from Hoppus' followers, including one person who wrote, "So many cool stories. Must’ve been hard to keep your book down to 400 pages."

Bryant shared special charity moments with other artists, like Bow Wow, who the athlete played 1-on-1 ball against and beat the rapper out of $1,000 during his basketball camp in 2011.

"That right there is like a bucket list [goal]," Bow said on podcast Club Shay Shay in April. "Every kid would love to play Kobe Bryant one-on-one. And then for [his death] to tragically happen, that's something I'm going to hold dearly to my heart."

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