Koolaid_Man
12-04-2015, 08:34 PM
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Bryant has already left a lasting impression on Irving. After he scored a career-high 57 points in San Antonio last season, he credited Bryant for showing him the form that led to his game-tying shot that sent the game to overtime (http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-cavaliers/post/_/id/577/kyrie-proves-a-worthy-partner-to-lebron). "As long as my elbow's pointed at the rim, I feel like it has a great chance to go in," he said. "I learned that from Kobe Bryant.”
After reading Bryant’s retirement poem on The Players' Tribune on Sunday, Irving contacted Bryant before the Los Angeles Lakers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lal/los-angeles-lakers) played the Indiana Pacers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/ind/indiana-pacers) later that night.
“I texted him, I was like, ‘Man, you’ve allowed me to grow in my own space, but having guys like you that I can idolize and look up to, I’m going to take your legacy, or try to take your legacy even further and be on the same greatness wavelength as you,' " Irving said. “That’s something we all strive to do. Whether it happens or not, who knows? But for me, idolizing somebody like that, Kobe, guys that I’ve been watching for a long time, when Kobe leaves the game, the game will never be the same.”
Bryant has already left a lasting impression on Irving. After he scored a career-high 57 points in San Antonio last season, he credited Bryant for showing him the form that led to his game-tying shot that sent the game to overtime (http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-cavaliers/post/_/id/577/kyrie-proves-a-worthy-partner-to-lebron). "As long as my elbow's pointed at the rim, I feel like it has a great chance to go in," he said. "I learned that from Kobe Bryant.”
After reading Bryant’s retirement poem on The Players' Tribune on Sunday, Irving contacted Bryant before the Los Angeles Lakers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/lal/los-angeles-lakers) played the Indiana Pacers (http://espn.go.com/nba/team/_/name/ind/indiana-pacers) later that night.
“I texted him, I was like, ‘Man, you’ve allowed me to grow in my own space, but having guys like you that I can idolize and look up to, I’m going to take your legacy, or try to take your legacy even further and be on the same greatness wavelength as you,' " Irving said. “That’s something we all strive to do. Whether it happens or not, who knows? But for me, idolizing somebody like that, Kobe, guys that I’ve been watching for a long time, when Kobe leaves the game, the game will never be the same.”