Jennifer Lopezremembered basketball legendKobe Bryantwhile speaking at a press conference ahead of herSuper Bowlhalftime performance withShakira.
Lopez, 50, revealed that she learned about Bryant and his daughter’s tragic deaths on Sunday from her fiancéAlex Rodriguez, who had beenfriends with the former Los Angeles Laker.
“I was in the middle of rehearsing and talking about this show and Alex came to me with tears in his eyes and he’s like, ‘You’re not gonna believe what happened,'” Lopezshared, according toUSA Today. “And he was devastated; he knew Kobe very well — they kind of came up together and entered sports around the same time. He was just devastated.”
The actress and singer went on to say that Bryant’s death reminded her that “we have to appreciate every single moment and we have to love people when they’re here, and not wait.”
Steve Granitz/WireImage; Dia Dipasupil/Getty
Lopez continued: “I think aboutVanessa [Bryant]as a mom and losing her best friend and partner and losing her child and I think how awful that must be for her right now … I’ve just been praying that God guides her through every moment because she has three more babies to take care of.”
“Just wishing that the nightmare was over, but it’s not gonna be and that’s life and we have to carry on,” the pop star said. “But at the same time, it affects us and it’ll affect us forever.”
Elsewhere in the press conference, Lopez and Shakira, 42, spoke about what performing at the Super Bowl means to them.
“This is a palpable example of how anything is possible,” Shakira said. “And the only thing that matters is the size of your dreams. I think that we are — the Latinos are going through a difficult time in the U.S., and I think it’s very important for us to convey a message of unity and also to show what a relevant force the Latin community is in this country, how much we have to offer, our idiosyncrasies, our culture that is so unique.”
Shakira and Jennifer Lopez.Dave Shopland/BPI/Shutterstock
Shakira continued: “I feel truly honored to be representing so many people out there. Women, Latinas, and people of any ages. I think that J.Lo and I are here redefining paradigms about age, about race, about background. It doesn’t really matter where you’re from, how old you are … what matters is what you have to say. And we’re here, and we have a lot of stuff to say.”
Jennifer Lopez.Dave Shopland/BPI/Shutterstock
During a previous pre-Super Bowl press conference on Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell revealed thatBryant will be honoredat Sunday’s championship game in Miami, Florida. Shakira and Lopez will perform the halftime show, whileDemi Lovatowill sing the National Anthem.
Super Bowl LIV, held at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, airs live at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday, Feb. 2 on Fox.
source: people.com
