Tuesday marks the 1-year anniversary of the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. His death rocked the world as he had such a positive impact on everybody he came across due to his passion and his competitiveness.
Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers is very familiar with Bryant. The two faced off in the NBA Finals twice during Rivers’ tenure with the Boston Celtics. Rivers and the Celtics walked away with the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2008, but Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers earned the win in 2010.
After Bryant retired in 2016, he really wanted to get into coaching, and Rivers was willing to help. They used the two series in the finals to discuss coaching strategies.
“I was saying two or three weeks before the accident, we were at a function together and we were supposed to get to the function, and we’re sitting over in a corner talking about those two series and dissecting them,” Rivers said with a laugh. “He was so into coaching after retirement, because of his daughter and he just wanted to know everything. Why we trapped him in Game 7 in 2010, teams didn’t trap me in two years, what was that about? It’s just amazing what he wanted to know and why. I really loved those conversations.”
Bryant’s basketball intellect was well-known as he was one of the smartest players to ever play the game. He poured everything he had into the game and that is why he was so successful. Whenever he fell down, he used that as fuel and motivation to get up and get after it again.
That is why it was so hard to accept that he was gone. He had such a big impact on everybody.
“Obviously, I had a competitive relationship with him,” said Rivers. “I had a personal relationship with him. That was a difficult day for everybody. It’s still difficult when you think about it. I thought after his retirement, he started letting more people in. I was one of those guys. He was a great competitor, though. He’s the perfect opponent because you know he’s going to give his best.”
That drive to compete and win is what allowed Bryant to have his revenge in the 2010 finals.
“When we beat them in 2008, and we’re celebrating on the floor I remember having a talk with him during the celebration, and you could look him in his eyes,” Rivers added with a smile. “I was thinking ‘boy we’re going to have to deal with this guy again’ and obviously he exacted his revenge on us in 2010. you just loved competing against him, because you know there was no quit in him, you knew he was going to fight with you. Whatever it took to get back at you, and as an opponent, you always appreciated that.”
Bryant’s impact on the game of basketball and the world as a whole will be felt for as long as the game continues on.
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