Kyrie Irving was among the many superstars who idolized Kobe Bryant. However, unlike many others, Irving was fortunate enough to share a strong bond with the Los Angeles Lakers legend. Kyrie picked Kobe’s mind several times and tried grasping as much knowledge as possible. Apart from sharing a mentor-mentee relationship, the two icons were even great friends off the hardwood. Once, during a Team USA camp, the duo even agreed to a hefty $50,000 bet. Now, years after the Black Mamba’s unfortunate passing, the Dallas Mavericks star is still being inspired by the legend. Taking it to his Instagram stories, Kyrie seemed amazed at Bryant’s ‘GOATED’ footwork.
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Kobe Bryant is cut from the same cloth as guys such as Michael Jordan and Larry Bird. These guys would resort to relentless trash-talking, completely humiliating their opponent just to win. In the summer of 2012, during the Team USA camp, ‘Kai’ made the mistake of nagging the ruthless Bryant. Challenging the 6-foot-6 Shooting Guard to play one-on-one, the young Irving agreed to Kobe’s bet – donating $50,000 to the charity of the winner’s choice. Sadly, fans were never able to witness this highly-anticipated matchup take place. However, the Lakers leader did manage to torch the Cleveland Cavaliers for a 42-point performance in their very next meeting.
Kyrie Irving shares a reel displaying the ‘GOATED’ footwork of Kobe Bryant
Kyrie Irving recently took to his Instagram, revealing that he is in awe of Bryant’s ‘GOATED’ footwork. Sharing @formshooting’s minute-long reel on his story, the clip was captioned “Kobe Bryant footwork 🐐”. Look at a screenshot of Irving’s story in tragicpatek’s tweet.
Kyrie calls Kobe’s footwork goated pic.twitter.com/aiadI9XArl
— tragicpatek (@tragicpatek) August 3, 2023
Kobe Bryant was one of the best offensive maestros ever. He used a wide array of moves while destroying his opponents. Widely known for his midrange game, the 18-time All-Star had impeccable footwork that allowed him to succeed. A true student of the game, he learned to move his feet from none other than Hakeem “The Dream” Olajuwon. Take a look at the video posted by the NBA.
Kyrie may be playing a different position than Kobe, but there are a lot of moves that the 6-foot-2 Guard has taken from the latter. In fact, with the former Duke Blue Devil’s footwork also being second to none, it wouldn’t be surprising if he learned the same from Bryant.
It was heartwarming to see Kyrie and Kobe’s brother-like relationship. Sure, there were many other players to whom the Hall Of Famer also gave advice. But, with Irving, they went way further than just being mentor-mentees to each other.
Irving called Bryant immediately after winning the 2016 Finals
The 2016 NBA Finals was a special one for the Cavaliers. Despite trailing 3-1 against the Golden State Warriors, the All-Star duo of LeBron James and Kyrie Irving propelled the Ohio side to an improbable win. Different players and staff reacted differently when reaching the locker room.
While others were celebrating, spraying champagne around, Kyrie Irving took time to thank the person who helped him gain confidence in order to mount the comeback. Kai went on to FaceTime Kobe, thanking the icon for his advice. Here is what Kobe Bryant said on the matter.
Kobe: “My phone rings and it’s a 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… 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.”
Bryant is the reason Irving is now a champion and one of the best in the NBA. Now that he is in Dallas, he may just teach Luka Doncic a few things too.
