Bryant is coming home to Philadelphia for the last time in his storied career, but the Sixers will try to spoil it and improve their 0-18 start to the season in front of an expected sold-out crowd at the Wells Fargo Center.
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In 2012, Bryant said he would never apologize for saying, “I’m going to come kick some ass”.
In an interview with Cleveland.com, James commented about Bryant’s retirement and spoke of his admiration for the Lakers veteran and how Bryant has influenced his play in the National Basketball Association plus.
“We’ve always competed against one another, and we always wanted to dethrone each other”, said James. “He’s done so much for the game”. Not only did the Sixers release the emotional video above entitled “Dear Kobe”, but Philly legend Julius Erving and Gregg Downer, Bryant’s high school coach, presented him with a Lower Merion jersey, too. “I studied him, wanted to be like him; he was our Michael Jordan”, Durant said at a shootaround on Monday. Gasol was happy to play the sidekick, and just wanted to win after years of misery in Memphis. The two intersected for Bryant’s final National Basketball Association game in Philadelphia. “Well”, he said, “they never got players and how we work”.
Sixers coach Brett Brown said it was “a true privilege” to be on hand for such an occasion, but he was focused more on his team and its victory.
“I knew he was in the gym, and I knew he was working on his game….”
Slay just so happens to be a die-hard Kobe Bryant fan and he’s not afraid to say it. In fact, he already has his courtside seats purchased for Sunday’s game and will be wearing his Lakers gear.
Oh man, you know this is going to be a good one. Like he really forgot that he was about to see him in like three weeks in L.A. I swear. “So, that part will be missed a little bit”.
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When speaking about Bryant extemporaneously Tuesday, James rattled off Bryant’s complete resume down to his number of All-Star appearances (17). It still stings him that he couldn’t get the Cavaliers to the 2009 NBA Finals for a matchup with Bryant, a showdown craved by hoop fans everywhere. Brown also said the team has gone to great lengths to educate its young players about the pitfalls that await them outside the arena. “I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain to meet in the Finals in 2009”, he said, via ESPN’s Dave McMenamin.
