Kobe Bryant was a role model for many current players, as he set an example of how hard you need to work to maximize your talents. Kobe Bryant worked relentlessly on becoming a better player, and his desire to become the best that he could be was how he won 5 championships during his NBA career.
One of the players who was impacted by Kobe Bryant is none other than Philadelphia 76ers superstar, Joel Embiid. An article by Michael Kaskey-Blomain of CBS Sports detailed the impact that Kobe Bryant had on a younger Joel Embiid, and Embiid stated that without Kobe Bryant, he wouldn’t be where he is now.
I was about 13 or something like that. It was the Finals against Boston and it was my first time watching NBA basketball and it happened to be on the Lakers. All I kept hearing about was Kobe, and they won that year. That was the first time I watched and that was also when I fell in love with basketball, and that’s why he became my favorite player. I will say that I’m probably here because of him.
Kobe, we miss him a lot. I miss him a lot. He was my favorite player and even when you watch the way I play basketball and the moves that I’ve added, especially when it comes to fadeaways over both shoulders, that comes from a lot of tapes on Kobe’s game. I miss him a lot. I wish he was still here with us.
There are certainly elements of Kobe Bryant’s game in Joel Embiid’s own play, as we all know about Joel Embiid’s prowess in the post. Joel Embiid has certainly worked hard to get where he is in the NBA and has led the 76ers to the 1st seed in the Eastern Conference this season. Just like his favorite player, Joel Embiid has made himself into an MVP-caliber player, and is dominating the league.
