In an emotional post on Instagram, Rockets guard Ben McLemore addressed the tragic death of Kobe Bryant and credited the NBA legend with helping him out during a challenging time in his career.
On Sunday, Bryant passed away at 41 years old in a helicopter crash. Everyone on board died, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna.
Two days later, the 26-year-old McLemore wrote a lengthy message about Bryant’s legacy, noting that his “selfless nature will never be forgotten.” Though Bryant and McLemore never played on the same team, that seemingly didn’t stop Bryant from cultivating the relationship and making an impact — as he did with so many others around the sport.
Within McLemore’s thoughtful message is this story:
You were cut from an entirely different cloth than anyone else on this earth, Kobe. You just gave me some much needed words of encouragement this last year, when I found myself in between teams. You helped mentor so many in this game, and your selfless nature will never be forgotten.
Originally drafted as the No. 7 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, McLemore had a hard time finding any basketball opportunity a year ago. He played in just 19 games during the 2018-19 season with the Sacramento Kings, and at only 8.3 minutes per game.
The league’s consensus seemed to be that McLemore was a bust, at least relative to his draft status. And after six seasons, there weren’t a ton of teams willing to give him another chance — even though, in hindsight, some of his struggles could be attributed to the bad teams he was on.
In 2019-20, for the first time in his career, McLemore found his way to a winning team in Houston. In doing so, he appears to have reinvigorated his career alongside former MVPs James Harden and Russell Westbrook, averaging 9.9 points on 37.3% 3-point shooting in 23.7 minutes. At the moment, McLemore is the team’s starter at small forward.
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The mentorship from Harden and Westbrook and the attention they draw on the court have certainly helped McLemore’s breakout season. But it sounds as if Bryant — long known as a basketball historian and a devout fan of the game and its players — deserves some credit, as well.
During his legendary 20-year career with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was a five-time NBA champion; an 18-time All-Star; a two-time Olympic gold medalist; and an MVP, among his numerous accolades. Even after retiring in 2016, he remained a regular presence in the NBA community, as evidenced by his conversation with McLemore a year ago.
Bryant is survived by his wife, Vanessa, and three other daughters.
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