Getty Former Los Angeles Lakers Julius Randle & Kobe Bryant.
Based on the outpouring of emotions of thousands, it’s clear that Kobe Bryant had a massive impact on the sports world. His untimely death will go down as one of the most shocking moments in history and there’s still many who have yet to fully process the news. Throughout his career, Kobe influenced many young teammates. While he was as intense as they come, his drive inspired many to be great.
Julius Randle was a Los Angeles Laker for four seasons and a couple of those were spent with Kobe. Though he grew up in Dallas, Texas and now plays for the New York Knicks, he never stopped idolizing the “Black Mamba.” He took to social media to give a beautiful tribute to the legend.
It might seem strange to non-sports fans that an athlete could change somebody’s life, but that’s what Kobe did for many. Just like Michael Jordan before him and LeBron James after him, Kobe’s influence will last far longer than his playing career.
Lou Williams Tells Amazing Kobe Story
It’s well-publicized that Kobe Bryant was a winner through and through. Sometimes to a fault. He would not accept losing and he had to go through some very tough years over his 20-year career. Five championships were never enough for him and even he admitted that he had a hard time accepting that he never won a sixth.
Towards the end of his career, the Lakers fell off quite a bit. He never stopped pushing for greatness. Lou Williams was one of his teammates during that time and he recounted an amazing Kobe story after a loss to Portland.
@NickSwagyPYoung We got blew out in Portland. He took everybody Kobe’s and said they couldn’t wear it cause we was soft 😂😂
Kobe was the ultimate competitor and losing was too much for him. It even got so bad at a point that he requested a trade. Fortunately, that got fixed really quickly and the Lakers got back to their winning ways shortly after.
Even though days have passed since the news broke, it’s still hard for many to cope with the idea that Kobe Bryant is gone. Williams encapsulated how many who knew him likely feel right now.
Been crying on and off. Have a random thought about things we spoke about then laugh. Cry again. Then I tell myself tighten up, mamba was tough. Wipe my eyes. Cry again RIPKOBE
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Kevin Durant Breaks Silence
Kevin Durant was among the NBA stars who didn’t issue an immediate response, but he’s finally broken his silence.
“It is hard to comprehend all of this. Just having those moments with Kobe, it was always about pressing forward and at this time it is so hard to do,” Durant said, via Malika Andrews. “It is hard to keep going right now… I know we are all just mourning…. One thing I learned from being around Kobe was being yourself — Being comfortable with how I played. I never wanted to be like Kobe, but I wanted to have that laser focus. Nothing was getting in the way of what I wanted to do on the floor. That was the mamba mentality.”
Kobe was already a legendary figure within Los Angeles and the NBA. It’s not easy to get over the death of someone who meant so much to an entire city.
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Former Laker Julius Randle Has Strong Reaction to Kobe Bryant’s Death