It’s been over a year since Kobe Bryant passed away in a helicopter crash. He may be gone, but his impact on the game will be felt for generations.
Some players on this year’s Tokyo Olympics U.S. squad had deep relationships with Bryant. Those who didn’t surely took some inspiration from the Black Mamba. Nets forward Kevin Durant has made it clear Team USA hopes to honor Bryant’s legacy in Tokyo.
“Kobe Bryant is the guy that all of us looked up to and watched as kids. And even when he was alive and playing, his DNA was embedded in us as players. From afar, (he) taught us what the game is about, what work ethic is about. … Now that he’s not with us no more, we all want to honor his teachings by going out there and playing with that passion, with that energy every single play.
And guys that had close relationships understand how he approached every single day, especially with Team USA. He really took pride in being a part of this group and part of this team. We all feed off of that type of energy, and Kobe always brought that, so he’s always big to everyone of us here. We miss him; we miss him dearly.”
"Even when he was alive and playing, his DNA was embedded in us"@KDTrey5 talks about honoring the great @kobebryant and his legacy of @usabasketball for @Olympics.#TokyoOlympics | #USABasketball | #3ptcnvrsn | #KobeBryant | #Olympics pic.twitter.com/uK64ezGDTk
— The 3 Point Conversion (@3ptCnvrsn) July 9, 2021
When Bryant played for Team USA, he went 36-0 en route to two gold medals. If America wins a gold medal this year, it will honor him. Making it his third gold medal in spirit.
[vertical-gallery id=21863]
[mm-video type=video id=01fa49d2jfzxztp7ypv7 playlist_id=01f09kz5ecxq9bp57b player_id=01eqbvq570kgj8vfs7 image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01fa49d2jfzxztp7ypv7/01fa49d2jfzxztp7ypv7-0ba72ae34618d766d002d391310049ac.jpg]