Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant made such an impact on so many people around the world during his time on earth. But when it came to fellow players, there were only a select few that he truly established an extremely close bond with and one of those was Dallas Mavericks point guard Kyrie Irving.
Many will remember a young Irving challenging Bryant to a 1-on-1 game during Team USA practices and the two would have their moments on the NBA court as well. But the two became very close off the court with Kobe being a big brother to Irving and giving him advice both on and off the court.
Irving recently opened up about this during online influencer Kai Cenat’s Thanksgiving Special stream. The Mavericks star talked about the advice Bryant gave him during his 2016 championship run and how he wanted players to strive to be better than him:
“When somebody tells you to do something for the greater good of the team it’s not always gonna sound like the best thing. You gotta be able to know how to take that advice and apply it. But for him, yea 2016 he told me to really start isolating myself a little bit more to get a greater sense of who I am and how you have to approach every day. That’s the best Kobe story I can give is his approach to life, his approach to the game of basketball was transformative. It gave us a hero to look up to, but also he didn’t wanna be looked up to as a hero he wanted to always let you know ‘you’re gonna be better than me. Don’t try to strive to be where I’m at, try to strive to go past and if you can’t go past then keep striving for your own goals.’ The perception of him was so crazy too. Lets not forget people were on the Kobe hate train for a while, he wasn’t always the most favorite athlete. I know some of you guys have your favorite athletes here and you’ll go to bat for them. But Kob was like one of those ones that made it out the fire. Media turned on him, fans turned on him, and to be a Kobe fan when you were younger during those times you really had to have those tough conversations. I asked him all those questions on how he dealt with it mentally, spiritually, emotionally. How he really got closer with his wife and his kids. How he was more open to life when he left the league because he didn’t have to be competitive with us anymore. Kob always split the line though, he wasn’t close with anybody. He wasn’t working out with anybody in the summer, he would only give a few people the information that were willing to listen. So you had to initiate yourself as a student like, ‘I know nothing. Teach me.'”
Irving would continue on about how difficult it was to lose Kobe because of how important he was to him and so many others before revealing that the main thing Bryant taught him was to not let basketball define him:
“He was a genuine friend, a genuine big brother and to lose somebody like that was one of the hardest things to deal with, to grieve over it. As well as everybody else around the world, cuz he didn’t just mean something to me, he meant something to his family, people all over the world. And that’s how you know somebody did more than just play basketball, they were just universal. And Kobe isn’t the only one, he learned from, it could be Bruce Lee. It could be Bill Russell. It could be Malcolm X. It could be Martin Luther King. It could be a myriad of revolutionary people, Bob Marley. It could be revolutionary people that left the ideology for us to become better people and want us to make a positive impact on the world. I use the craft of basketball to get me into rooms, but it’s not defining me at all. And that’s what Kobe taught me. ‘Don’t let this sport define you bro.'”
In the world that we live in today, athletes have the ability to affect so many things outside of sports and it isn’t always easy to do so. Irving has caught his share of flak due to some of his decisions and while many may not agree with his views on certain things, the desire to impact the world is something everyone should strive for.
The love for Bryant stretches well beyond the basketball court and Irving did as good a job as anyone in explaining why the Lakers great meant so much to so many.
Lonzo Ball explains decision to leave Lakers legend Kobe Bryant off his Mount Rushmore
Talking strictly basketball, the view of where Kobe Bryant stands on the list of all-time greats varies from person to person. Former Lakers and current Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball left Kobe off his personal Mount Rushmore, instead choosing LeBron James, Shaquille O’Neal, Michael Jordan and Stephen Curry.
In explaining his choice Ball revealed that while he loved Kobe, he never felt like he was truly the best player in the league. Many would argue against that feeling, but it is all subjective and that is simply the way Ball feels.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!