On March 4, the NBA world grappled with the unfortunate news that Kyrie Irving had suffered a torn ACL. The injury will keep him out for the rest of the season. Although he has every reason to be down, Irving followed in the footsteps of his role model, Kobe Bryant, with a social media post.
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Irving suffered the injury during the first quarter against the Kings on March 3. Despite being in clear pain and discomfort, the nine-time All-Star went to the free-throw line and made both of his attempts. His toughness spoke volumes, yet he chose to remain silent following the injury.
Fans were waiting to see if he would update the public about his state of mind after such a serious injury. There had been radio silence until a few moments ago, when he channeled his inner ‘Black Mamba’ by quoting the Lakers legend in a post on X.
“May you always remember to enjoy the road, especially when it’s a hard one,” Irving wrote.
Irving’s post shows that he is in good spirits amidst the setback. The quote that he decided to post came directly from Kobe Bryant to current Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka.
Before Pelinka was in charge of basketball decisions in LA, he served as Bryant’s manager. The two shared a very close relationship. Bryant gifted Pekina a copy of his book The Mamba Mentality: How I Play and wrote this message for his agent.
Kobe has impacted Kyrie Irving in a great way
Irving looked up to Bryant throughout his life while working toward his NBA dreams. Once the electric guard’s dreams came true, Kobe took him under his wing. Given that Kyrie admired Bryant so much, he will most likely keep a similar mindset as he recovers from the ACL tear.
Kobe suffered a serious, potentially career-altering injury at 34 when he tore his Achilles. Rather than let that get him down, Kobe returned from the injury and played for three more seasons.
Kyrie Irving may be 32 years old, but he believes he still has plenty of skill left in the tank. Although he is suffering right now, he aspires to return to the same level he was playing at when he hobbled off the floor of the American Airlines Arena.
A valiant showcase fit for a disciple of Bryant’s teachings and philosophy.
