Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving has often talked about his close bond with Kobe Bryant. Back in June, Kyrie posted an emotional and heartwarming tribute for the former LA Lakers man, on Twitter. Kobe himself had said that Kyrie was the one player closest to him, speaking after his retirement in 2016, according to Clutchpoints. Recently, Irving shared a clip on Instagram for his 19,500,000 followers on Instagram, showing Kobe talking about the importance of consistency.
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Irving joined the league back in 2011, while Bryant retired in 2016. The two players had a competitive relationship on the court, but Irving looked up to the Lakers legend off it. Now 31, Irving’s post stands as evidence of just how much he values his relationship with The Black Mamba, even to this day.
Kyrie Irving shares video of Kobe Bryant’s inspirational quote for success
Irving shared a video that sees Bryant explain exactly what it takes to get better. He talked about the importance of consistency, speaking about how it was important to work every day.
Kobe talked about how it wasn’t enough to simply work every day for a few months. Instead, he claimed that constant hard work over a period of years is what it took to get better:
“The consistency of work. Monday, get better, Tuesday get better, Wednesday get better, right? And you got to do that over a period of time.You know, not like 1 month or 2 months. I mean, its 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 years, and then you know, get to where you wanna go.”
There is little doubt that Bryant knew exactly what he was talking about. One of the most highly-rated players of all time, Kobe could defeat the best of teams on his best days, all on his own. He serves as an inspiration to youngsters even today, something which was true for Kyrie Irving as well.
Irving paid emotional homage to Kobe Bryant after win over Toronto Raptors
Back in October 2022, Kyrie Irving dropped 30 points against the Toronto Raptors. Playing for the Nets, the 31-year old went 11-24 from shooting and commented on ended up paying homage to Bryant. Leading his team to a 109-105 victory, Kyrie commented the following:
“Sounds like Kobe numbers and Kyrie numbers right there. 11/24 for a good night.”
Speaking to Bally Sports, Kyrie had once also talked about Bryant’s kindness and compassion. Always willing to help youngsters, Bryant’s impact is still talked about regularly, and will be for decades to come.
