Kobe Bryant’s impact on the game lasted way beyond his retirement. While Bryant walked away from the game 5 years ago, his presence is still felt in the NBA to this day. Kobe was an icon of the game, and many players playing today looked up to him while growing up, and even got the chance to play with and against him.
One of the players who had a very strong relationship with Kobe Bryant was Kevin Durant, the two battled on several occasions, especially on the playoff stage. Durant and Kobe respected each other a lot, and Durant considers Kobe one of the best to ever play this game.
And during his stint with the Warriors, he had a somewhat of a reunion with Kobe Bryant. During one of the Warriors’ visits to the Staples Center in 2017, a picture was taken of Kevin Durant sitting alongside puppets of Kobe Bryant’s two eras in LA, wearing his #8 and #24 jersey.
Kevin Durant with the 8 & 24 Kobe puppets (from 2017) pic.twitter.com/ybYptMFvku
— Kobe & Gianna Bryant Murals (@kobemurals) December 7, 2021
This picture recently went viral on Twitter. It was a very funny picture, but also equally heartwarming. Puppets are adorable, and these puppets perfectly captured the likeness of Kobe Bryant during his time in Los Angeles. And Durant looked bored, probably making that face to make the picture even funnier.
Kobe and KD were also very similar when it came to their scoring prowess. Many have compared Durant and Kobe, mostly because of how skillful they were as scorers during their stint in the NBA. JJ Redick even said that Durant was the closest thing to Kobe Bryant in the NBA today.
Durant and Kobe Bryant shared a very close bond with each other. Durant even referred to Kobe as a god-like figure, just showing how much respect and admiration he has for the Lakers legend. Clearly, the bond between the two is incredibly powerful, even to this day.
