LeBron James gets inked in honour of Kobe Bryant

In a moving tribute to the late basketball star Kobe Bryant, LeBron James on Saturday unveiled his latest tattoo 'Mamba 4 Life'.

James posted the photo on Instagram ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers' game and captioned the post as: "My brother".

The tattoo reads "Mamba 4 life" underneath a black mamba snake.

This black mamba snake inspired Kobe Bryant's nickname of "Black Mamba".

Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers game against Portland Trail Blazers, LeBron James also gave a heartfelt tribute to the late Kobe Bryant, saying that the game is a 'celebration of his life'.

Speaking with a heavy heart, LeBron James started his speech saying: "I got something written down, but I will not read out of this, and I am going to say everything from my heart".

"This is a celebration of the 20 years of the blood, the sweat, the tears, the broken-down body, the getting down, sitting up, the countless hours, the determination to be as great as he could be," James said.

Bryant, 41, and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among the nine people killed when a helicopter they were travelling in crashed amid foggy conditions and burst into flames in the hills above Calabasas.

The basketball legend had won five National Basketball Association (NBA) championships in his 20-year-long career while playing for Los Angeles Lakers.