Dallas Mavs’ Kyrie Irving talks about Kobe Bryant’s legacy
Kyrie Irving went on a livestream and had a wide-ranging conversation covering his time with Brooklyn Nets and his thoughts on Kobe Bryant, following Bleacher Report ranking the guard as the 11th best player in NBA history.
Talking about Bryant, who was a mentor to Irving, he said the Los Angeles Laker legend’s impact was bigger than basketball.
“I’m not letting people come on here and talk about Kobe like Kobe wasn’t one of the best that not only played but that came in as a 17-year-old against grown men, and by time this man was 22 years old, he had a few championships and he was busting the best of the best [expletive]. If y’all don’t knock that [expletive] off, I’m talking to y’all at home, the [expletive] media, the talking heads,” said Irving, “This man Kobe Bean Bryant is immortalized not just because of his basketball; that’s what I’m trying to tell y’all, he is way bigger because of the character, because of what we witnessed him go through.”
During the 2024 NBA Finals, Irving talked about Bryant’s character and the connection they shared, saying he missed the Lakers legend every day.
Bryant is widely considered one of the greatest players of all time, and Irving wasn’t the only NBA star upset with his ranking. Hall of Famer Dwayne Wade felt similarly, saying Bryant was a top-three player all time while deriding the Bleacher Report list.
