Only a handful of NBA players have gotten the chance to call another player their mentor. The list gets even shorter when the mentor is a superstar. Kobe Bryant was one of them to the Dalla Mavericks star Kyrie Irving.
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Kobe Bryant himself was lucky enough to consider Michael Jordan his mentor. He was like a younger brother to Mike, and he wanted to reciprocate that relationship with Irving.
Their first interaction was in the 2011 USA Select camp when Kyrie challenged Kobe to a 1-on-1 game. Bryant immediately took a liking to him and was impressed by his skills.
Since then, Kyrie always sought out Kobe for advice. Little did he know that one such piece of advice would land him the NBA championship.
Kyrie Irving face-timed Kobe Bryant while celebrating
The 2016 NBA finals would be etched in everyone’s memory as Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Golden State Warriors after being down 3-1 – a feat that had never been accomplished in the history of the NBA. While Kyrie’s teammates were celebrating in the locker room, he decided to call his mentor to thank him. Revisiting the incident, both Kyrie and Kobe shared the details of the moment:
Kobe:”My phone rings and its facetime call, it’s Kyrie. I pick it up and Kyrie is in the locker room and he is celebrating. He screams – Your advice worked. It worked.”
Kyrie went on to detail the advice that Kobe gave him:
“Bro you told me not to give a f–k about what anybody is saying. You told me don’t pay attention to anybody who is not giving you positive energy and it worked. Your advice worked. Just to see him and be proud, it was one of the best moments.”
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Kobe Bryant went on to leave another pearl of wisdom that he received from his mentor – Michael Jordan. The importance of understanding and connecting with your teammates. Here is the full quote:
“How do you find an emotional connection with each player and understand their fears by putting in time with them. Michael told me – You have to touch the right buttons to make them want to be the version of themselves.”
Kyrie Irving and Kobe Bryant’s game style
Though Irving modeled his game around the Lakers legend, his style of play was contrastingly different. To start with, Kyrie usually is the primary ball handler and plays the Point Guard, whereas Bryant is a traditional Shooting Guard.
Kyrie’s ball-handling skills and abilities to finish at the rim have amazed fans all over the world. He relies on breaking the defense through a barrage of moves and spin cycles. Unlike Kobe, who primarily used o post up on defenders and hit fade-away shots. Kyrie is more crafty, while Kobe Bryant was just persistent.
