Tonight is NBA star Kobe Bryant's final game as his Los Angeles Lakers host the Utah Jazz. Before the start of the game, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist and avid Lakers fan Flea performed the Star Spangled Banner. While Flea seems like an odd choice for Kobe's final game, it's actually not his first time playing the national anthem at a Lakers game. He also performed at a game in 2014.

Performing tonight's National Anthem in LA... FLEA! #ThankYouKobe pic.twitter.com/LlKpWxHCoT

— NBA (@NBA) April 14, 2016

In an interview with Rolling Stone, Flea expressed his deep feeling for Kobe. "I look at him as someone like, you know, Charlie Parker or John Coltrane or Jimmy Page or Jimi Hendrix, you know?" he continues. "He's been able to change and evolve and grow and be such a master of his craft. It's been great seeing him grow up, because he joined the Lakers when he was 17, and he's done so much for our city."

Image by Noel Vasquez/Getty Images North America