Nick Young Was “Sad” Seeing Kobe Bryant Frustrated After Late Career Achilles Injury

There are few NBA players in history who deserve to be called a warrior more than Kobe Bryant. Kobe invented the Mamba mentality, and his competitiveness and legendary work ethic put nearly all of his peers to shame. Kobe was often compared to Michael Jordan for the way he emulated MJ’s game, but he was much more than just an imitator. He was one tough SOB.

Kobe came to mind a couple of days ago after Kyrie Irving tore his ACL in the first quarter of a game against the Sacramento Kings. Just as Kobe gritted his way through two free throws after his Achilles tear in 2013, Kyrie also stepped to the line and, with tears streaming down his face and the home Mavericks crowd serenading him with MVP chants, knocked down both, just as his friend and mentor Bryant did.

Nick Young spent three years as Kobe’s teammate with the Lakers, and he spoke about Kobe’s toughness on yesterday’s episode of Gil’s Arena. Young’s cohosts were talking about players who had scored 50 or more points after the age of 37, a list which includes Kobe, Michael Jordan, Jamal Crawford, and LeBron James.

Kobe famously scored 60 points in his final career game at the age of 37, but Young says he could have done even more if not for that Achilles injury.

“After he got hurt, seeing him in that locker room, he looked miserable. He was mad, he wanted to get out there bad but he couldn’t… It was sad seeing that,” Young said.

Young recalled that Kobe always tried to return from injuries quickly, but his advancing age wouldn’t let his body heal the same way. He ended up playing in only 41 games in two seasons as his Achilles recovered.

To Kobe Bryant, there was nothing worse than not being able to play the game he loved

Kobe himself talked about how difficult it was being unable to play, saying shortly after his injury, “The frustration is unbearable.” Even at that advanced stage of his career, Kobe had been playing over 38 minutes per game, a number that would lead the league today.

Perhaps being overworked due to having to carry an undermanned team, Kobe’s Achilles gave out on him. Predictably, the team cratered in his absence, winning just 48 combined games in the two years that he mostly missed.

That couldn’t have sat well with the five-time NBA champ, especially when he believed that he could have made a difference if he was able to play.

Kobe is idolized by so many players today because of that warrior mentality that he carried with him throughout his career. Even though he’s no longer with us, that legacy lives on.