Candace Parker, one of the WNBA’s greats, had a special bond with Kobe Bryant, which she has spoken about in depth multiple times over the years. She has shared special moments with him both during his playing career and after it. However, Parker seemed to particularly admire the man Bryant became once he retired from the NBA.
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Parker first met Bryant at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, when they were both representing the USA basketball teams. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows. Kobe took a playful jab at her by introducing her to his daughters. “The first time I met his daughters, he walks up to me and was like, ‘You see these two girls? They’re gonna break all your records one day.’ That was the competitive spirit he always had,” Parker once recalled on NBA on TNT.
That competitive spirit came to be known as the Mamba Mentality. It was a mindset the Los Angeles Lakers legend instilled in himself to maintain an endless drive and pursuit of improvement. It eventually inspired players like Parker to push themselves to become better. However, the Bryant she met in 2008 was not her favorite version of the Mamba. She has recently spoken about how much she has grown to appreciate the man he became after hanging up his boots.
“I got to see the Kobe after basketball, and that’s the Kobe I loved more than anything,” Parker shared on Live Talks LA. “The Kobe that was the mentor. The Kobe that was accessible in texting. The Kobe that let his guard down a little bit. The Kobe that was number one in line picking his daughters up from school.”
Of course, leaving behind his playing days changed Bryant’s personality. For the longest time, he was an intimidating figure who cared about just one thing: winning. So it was only natural for him to take his foot off the gas later on.
There was something endearing about a former player who was once so intense, becoming more relaxed. Even his biggest critics grew to appreciate him over time.
Parker’s Past Kobe Comments
Parker has spoken about Bryant multiple times in the past. At the end of 2021, almost two years after the helicopter crash, she reflected on how he always had a way of saying things in a certain way.
“We call it ‘Kobe-isms.’ He always has a way of saying things… He says things that only Kobe can say. I can’t even repeat half of what he said. But this year, I found myself calling Vanessa for Kobe-isms,” Parker once shared on HBO.
It is yet another stark reminder of why the basketball community misses Kobe more and more as the years go by. He was a great player and an even greater person who inspired countless people. It is truly a travesty that he is no longer with us.
