Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was always someone who loved to help out and give advice to the next generation of basketball players as there were many legends who took the time to teach him as he was coming up in the league. One player he was able to connect with at a young age was New York Knicks star point guard Jalen Brunson.
But this wasn’t just a case of Bryant seeing and mentoring a young basketball talent as he actually had a connection with the Brunson family. As it turns out, Bryant’s older sister Sharia was a teammate and roommate of Brunson’s mother at Temple University, via Sports Illustrated:
Jalen Brunson's mom and Kobe Bryant's sister were teammates and roommates at Temple 🙌❤️ pic.twitter.com/31LVtKM9Jb
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 30, 2026
Sharia Bryant and Sandra Brunson both played volleyball at Temple and developed a close relationship as roommates during that time. That connection remained strong throughout the years leading to Kobe having a connection with the family as Brunson laid out.
Brunson seemingly had no idea of the connection when he first met Bryant, so imagining him being confused as his mother chatted with the Lakers legend as if they had known each other for years had to be a shock. But they actually did know each other and Brunson will forever have that picture to commemorate that moment.
Jalen Brunson feels connection to Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality
Many people felt that Brunson channeled Bryant during his run in leading the Knicks to the 2026 NBA Championship. Game after game, the Knicks star came through when his team needed him most, hitting clutch shots, leading comebacks, and ultimately never giving up as New York won its first championship in 53 years. Brunson himself even admitted to having a bit of connectivity with the Mamba Mentality.
“I think the way I carry myself and the way I do things is a credit to how I was raised by my parents. But also part of the philosophy seeps into the Mamba Mentality as well, so there’s a connectivity there,” Brunson said. “I just do my best to stay present in the moment. To do the things that I can. To make sure my mind is right. Being mentally and physically ready every day. Trusting my work. That’s what’s got me here. So there’s connectivity about it, but no I have not watched.”
Bryant certainly would have loved watching the epic run Brunson and the Knicks went on in these playoffs as the point guard truly embodied everything that the Lakers legend was all about. And in the end he finished the job, as Bryant would’ve wanted.
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