There probably aren’t any NBA players that weren’t influenced by Kobe Bryant in one way or another, and much of his mythic status came from his competitive drive. We’ve heard many of the stories before, of how Kobe would push himself as well as his teammates, but there are of course many more.
It might be hard to remember now, but in Kobe’s final NBA season during the 2015-16 year, the Lakers were a dreadful 17-65 team. Kobe didn’t take this so well! Lou Williams and Nick Young, who were teammates of Kobe's in the final season of his career, paid tribute by recalling some classic stories from that year on Twitter.
On Sunday, Kobe and his daughter Gianna were among the nine victims of a helicopter crash in Calabasas.
In the replies, somebody else shared another Kobe story that Williams recently told on a podcast appearance. (NSFW language follows.)
So many players around the league have their own Kobe stories, whether as a teammate, competitor or mentor, and it’s difficult to consider just how many players he was able to impact throughout his career.
One of Kobe's longest-lasting peers in the league, Vince Carter, spoke emotionally about his old friend and recalled a story from their last game against each other.
