As we continue to sift through the tragedy of what happened with Kobe, something very interesting is happening that I’ve never seen happen before…certainly not in my lifetime.
I’ll get to that in a second…
The Lakers game last night was postponed, practice was cancelled, and then I see a story about all the Lakers players gathering, in order to tell stories about Kobe.
According to Dave McMenamin- Following a light workout and optional shootaround yesterday, the team gathered for a luncheon and an impromptu story session broke out, with players and staffers -- from ownership on down in attendance -- taking turns retelling their favorite Bryant memories.
One of the highlights was when LeBron James, sources said, took the room back to the 2008 Beijing Olympics gold-medal game when he and Bryant teamed up on Team USA against Spain, featuring Bryant's Lakers teammate Pau Gasol. Kobe lit up Gasol on a screen and LeBron was left thinking “wow, you have to play with that guy next year”…see, that was the Mamba mentality.
The team physician, who knew Kobe well, said this move was calculated and well thought out.
Kobe wanted to toughen up Gasol, because he thought his play in their finals series vs Boston was “soft” – this is just the type of competitor he was. It’s the Jordan mindset. Its what we marvel at today.
Since the loss of Bryant, James has put the pressure on himself. He said in an Instagram post “it’s my responsibility to put this *** on my back”
And we’re all cheering for him…aren’t we? And isn’t that unique? Much like we all became saints fans in 2006 after katrina…aren’t we all Lakers fans now? And isn’t that kind of strange?
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