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‘Dwyane Wade was a vicious competitor’: Heat legend shares famous Kobe Bryant interview on Lakers lifer’s death anniversary

Amulya Shekhar
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'Dwayne Wade was a vicious competitor': Heat legend shares famous Kobe Bryant interview on Lakers lifer's death anniversary

Dwyane Wade shared an interview of Kobe Bryant lavishing praise on him for being a vicious competitor on the Lakers legend’s death anniversary.

Kobe Bryant meant a lot to a lot of people around the globe. Whether you were a basketball player or a daily wager, the Mamba mentality is something everyone drew inspiration from. His death brought out tears from millions of basketball fans. People even went so far as to say they felt like they’d lost their own family member.

Perhaps this is because we all knew that the Black Mamba always attempted to present his very best version to us. This was a guy who personified basketball – pure basketball – more than anyone we’ve ever seen.

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Yes, Michael Jordan was the most graceful, watchable player in the history of the game. Shaquille O’Neal dominated the sport like no one else. LeBron James has made 8 straight Finals. But in terms of ‘squeezing every last drop from the orange’ – as Kobe described his hard work – no one will ever emulate the Mamba.

Dwyane Wade posts video of Kobe Bryant praising his competitive spirit

Dwyane Wade met Kobe Bryant for the final time in an NBA setting in the 2015-16 season. Following the game, which the Lakers won despite Kobe only playing 9 minutes, he gave an amazing presser. He truly gave all the praise D-Wade would have loved to hear from the Mamba:

“I love him, man, cuz he was a vicious competitor. He’s vicious, you know, he’s mean. We could have those types of battles and afterwards, hang out and have a conversation, and lace ’em up, go right back at it. I enjoyed competing against him.”

“The hardest player I’ve ever had to guard in the screen-and-roll. He’d come off a screen and just disappear.”

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D-Wade is by no means the only one posting messages in memory of the Lakers legend on this tragic day. We’ll all solemnly but happily cherish the memories of a man who was a true representation of a sporting legend.

About the author

Amulya Shekhar

Amulya Shekhar

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Amulya Shekhar is a sports junkie who thrives on the thrills and frills of live sports action across basketball, football (the American variant works too), parkour, adventure sports. He believes sports connect us to our best selves, and he hopes to help people experience sports more holistically.

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