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Magic Johnson appeared on Tuesday’s (January 28) episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and opened up about his longtime friend, the late Kobe Bryant!

The fellow NBA star and now retired athlete didn’t cancel his appearance and instead appeared on the show because, as he explained it, “Kobe wouldn’t have want me to cancel.”

“Kobe would want us all to carry on and be great in our lives,” Johnson told Jimmy. “And we should do something positive, whether it’s making sure that we love our family or giving back to an organization in his name. We should do something great, because he was such a great man, great husband, great father, incredible basketball player.”

“For 20 years, to wear the Laker purple and gold. And love playing the game, and then to see him just become a great father and husband, and he was enjoying life and went way too early,” Magic continued.

As Kimmel noted of the two basketball stars (who both played for the Lakers, but never at the same time), “You were his idol. That’s something.”

“We idolized each other,” Magic assured – Watch the full interview here!

READ MORE: Details About Kobe Bryant’s Helicopter Crash Made Available to Public

Billy Porter keeps it chic as he strikes a pose on the red carpet at the opening night for A Soldier’s Play held at the American Airlines Theater on Tuesday (January 21) in New York City.

The 50-year-old Pose star was joined at the event by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel‘s Tony Shalhoub and his wife Brooke Adams, Weeds star Mary Louise Parker and her son William Parker, Magic Johnson and his wife Cookie, Kate Walsh, Sunny Hostin, Phylicia Rashad and Cicely Tyson as they all stepped out to show their support.

Also in attendance were the cast of the play David Alan Grier, Blair Underwood, Nnamdi Asomugha, Jerry O’Connell, McKinley Belcher III, Rob Demery, Jared Grimes, Billy Eugene Jones, Nate Mann, Warner Miller, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Lee Aaron Rosen.

A Soldier’s Play follows an officer’s race against his white leadership to unravel the crime of a black sergeant’s murder. A hair-raising mystery set in 1944, the play is seen on Broadway for the first time.

READ MORE: Billy Porter Spills On Going to ‘No Limits’ Strip Club With Tiffany Haddish!

Tons of stars stepped out for the Fifth Anniversary Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala!

Comedian and Night School actress Tiffany Haddish, 39, and Black‑ish actor Anthony Anderson, 48, took part in the festivities as singer Bruno Mars, 33, slayed the stage for an epic performance at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday (June 12) in Los Angeles.

They were joined by Meet the Peetes‘ Holly Robinson Peete, Grey’s Anatomy‘s Loretta Devine, This Is Us‘s Parker Bates and Mackenzie Hancsicsak, Shadowhunters‘ Katherine McNamara, Young & Hungry‘s Emily Osment, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile‘s Haley Joel Osment, Station 19‘s Danielle Savre, Grand Hotel‘s Anne Winters, and The Act‘s Calum Worthy.

Also in attendance were retired basketball player Magic Johnson, Extra‘s Mario Lopez, his wife Courtney Lopez, Michael Jackson‘s son Prince Jackson, businesswoman Tina Knowles, and comedians Loni Love and Matt Iseman.

Equality trailblazers Billie Jean King and Ilana Kloss were honored during the event, which raised over $3 million for the foundation’s youth-focused programs.

FYI: Tiffany is wearing Jonathan Simkhai. Holly is wearing Alex Woo jewelry. Anne is wearing NEDO.

30+ pictures inside of Tiffany Haddish, Bruno Mars, Anthony Anderson, and more at the event… More Here! »

Tiffany Haddish hits the red carpet in a feathered outfit as she arrives at the 2019 Wearable Art Gala on Saturday night (June 1) at The Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport in Sana Monica, Calif.

The 39-year-old actress walked the red carpet alongside hosts Tina Knowles-Lawson and her husband Richard Lawson.

Other guests at the event included Richard‘s daughter Bianca Lawson and Solange Knowles‘ 14-year-old son Julez Smith and his dad Daniel Smith.

Stars at the event included Jesse Williams, Tyler Perry, Chloe X Halle, Anthony Anderson, Marsai Martin, Lena Waithe, former How to Get Away with Murder actor Kendrick Sampson, Get Out actor Daniel Kaluuya, Magic Johnson and wife Cookie, and Steve Harvey and his wife Marjorie.

The theme of this year’s gala is “A Journey to the Pride Lands,” in honor of Disney’s upcoming CGI remake of The Lion King, which Tina‘s daughter Beyoncé stars as Nala.

25+ pictures inside of the stars stepping out for the event…More Here! »

Magic Johnson and Samuel L. Jackson spend some time together on vacation!

The 58-year-old retired professional basketball player and the 69-year-old Hitman’s Bodyguard actor were spotted lounging on a boat on Sunday (August 12) in Portofino, Italy.

They were joined by their wives, Cookie Johnson and LaTanya Richardson, respectively, and some friends.

Magic donned a white and yellow Los Angeles Lakers shirt while grabbing some food, and Samuel wore a green Adidas shirt while checking out the view with a pair of binoculars.

Later, they went ashore for dinner. Magic stopped to take photos with some local fans, while Samuel escorted LaTanya to the restaurant.

“Found this setup on the upper deck & couldn’t for the life of me figure out what this had to do with my plan to do absolutely nothing today,” Samuel captioned the Instagram slideshow below that same day. “Maybe If I go back downstairs & look at where I am, I can forget it’s even here…. yeah, that sounds like a plan. #nyachtdoingamuhfuhkkinthang #yachtybynaturefloatingcookout.”

Tina Knowles and husband Richard Lawson pose with Magic Johnson and his wife Cookie at the 2018 Wearable Art Gala on Saturday (March 17) in Los Angeles.

The foursome was also joined by Richard‘s daughter Bianca, Samuel L. Jackson with wife LaTanya, actor Broderick Hunter, Animal Kingdom’s Nicki Micheaux, and former BET Networks president of programming Stephen Hill.

While at the event, Samuel ran into Judge Greg Mathis.

“Still carrying on in the Judicial mode, ballin’ out with my Podnuh @judgegregmathis!!!,” he captioned a photo. The night before, he had dinner with Judge Judy.

Jason Bateman hilariously gazes at his bestie Justin Theroux as they hold hands on the blue carpet at Clayton Kershaw’s Ping Pong 4 Purpose Celebrity Tournament held on Thursday evening (July 27) at Dodgers Stadium in Los Angeles.

The 48-year-old actor and the 45-year-old Leftovers star were joined by Casey Affleck, Jack Black, The Bachelor‘s Nick Viall and Vanessa Grimaldi, Haley Joel Osment, Eric Christian Olsen, Magic Johnson, Isaiah Mustafa, and Clayton Kershaw himself who was accompanied by his wife Ellen.

Jimmy Kimmel and his wife Molly McNearney were also in attendance with their 3-year-old daughter Jane at the benefit raising money for children in third-world countries around the world.

Earlier in the week, Justin and his wife Jennifer Aniston supported Jason at his Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.