The NBA Finals will start on Thursday, and although the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t even come close to getting there, one of their most beloved legends is smiling somewhere.
Kobe Bryant, who died in a tragic helicopter crash along with eight other souls in 2020, looked forward to this time of year more than any other. Once he had collected five world championships, he started to become a mentor to members of the next generation.
Two of those mentees will be taking part in this year’s title series: Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and Kyrie Irving of the Dallas Mavericks. Irving, in particular, has always felt particularly close to Bryant, and he talked about how much the Black Mamba meant to him and how much he misses the legendary guard.
“I don’t know if anyone here has ever lost a mentor… Even if you guys didn’t talk everyday, there was still that connection that they were gonna always be there for you… I miss [Kobe Bryant] every single day.”
Kyrie Irving on Mamba’s impact 🫶
(via @JoeyMistretta_) pic.twitter.com/eHDr00qLJv
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 3, 2024
The Celtics are strong favorites to win this series, and there’s no doubt Lakers fans will be rooting against them. The fact that Irving loves Bryant so much and is on the other side should give those fans even more incentive to pull for Dallas to win basketball’s grand prize.
Irving already owns one championship ring, and he is one of the game’s biggest threats in crunch time, just as Bryant was. Perhaps he will make the late Lakers great proud within the next three weeks or so.