For years, an awkward photo of Jonah Hill sitting courtside next to Kobe Bryant had been sort of a meme. The picture showed a very young Hill looking uncomfortable at a Lakers game, with Kobe in the background draped in towels. Taken by his older brother Jordan Feldstein, who died of a heart attack in 2017, the Superbad and Wolf of Wall Street actor broke down what the photo means to him in the wake of Kobe's untimely death.
"This picture became a funny internet thing years back and it always made me laugh when I’d see memes of it," Hill wrote alongside the photo. "I used to love 'on purpose, very awkward photos' whenever I was around someone I respected and this is about as comically awkward as it gets. Ah, your early 20s. It’s a dumb bit but I really liked it at the time. I hesitate to post this as it’s usually connected to humor. But for me this photo represents a LOT more."
Feldstein, who passed away at age 40, was a prolific figure in the music industry and worked with Maroon 5 and Big Boi among others. "It was the night we both met Kobe and he was so nice to us. So funny, so amazing and so kind," Hill continued. "I have lived a privileged life. Truly. We were literally buzzing with excitement to meet our hero and it’s one of my favorite memories ever. It’s my favorite memory with my brother."
He added that it's surreal to look back on the photo, which he used to associate with humor, and take something different away from it. "I have been staring at this photo for days in disbelief and sadness and joy," Hill wrote. "It's my favorite picture and I think it represents for me, all of the hard and amazing things in life and how fleeting they are. But their fleeting nature doesn't make them any less beautiful."
Read Jonah Hill's heartfelt post above.
