- Lamar Odom says the entire Lakers team drew inspiration from Kobe
- Odom says young players followed Kobe’s lead
- Bryant gave the blueprint for how to be great
Over 14 years in the NBA, Lamar Odom enjoyed a prosperous NBA career. As a talented scorer and capable big man in his day, Odom had a lot of memorable moments in the NBA — and perhaps none more impactful than his tenure with the Lakers.
From 2004-2011, Odom played with the Purple and Gold alongside the legend Kobe Bryant. They won a pair of championships together in 2009 and 2010, but Odom says playing with Kobe brings a whole lot more than that: “He was so easy to learn from and follow because all he wanted to do was chase greatness,” said Lamar on SiriusXM NBA Radio. “If you wanna be great, just look at this guy. He’s close to it, he’s not there yet, and he’s still chasing it. For all the young guys, it was easy to look up to.”
The @Lakers will reveal a statue for Kobe Bryant this upcoming season
Former Laker, @LamarOdom joined Frank Isola and Brian Scalabrine to reflect on his playing days with Kobe pic.twitter.com/nd4BbHAFof
— SiriusXM NBA Radio (@SiriusXMNBA) September 4, 2023
Kobe’s competitive mindset was well documented over the course of his 20-year career. From the very beginning, the guy had a hunger to win and be great, which is why he dedicated so much of his own time to working out and perfecting his craft.
Individually, this work ethic helped Bryant achieve the peak of his potential, and it’s why he retired as a 5x champion. As a team, Bryant’s mentality helped to inspire the best out of others and his relentless attack often gave the Lakers an edge in tough matchups.
Back in the late 2000s and early 2010s, Kobe was at his absolute peak, and Odom was able to experience first-hand what Bryant was able to do.
Kobe Will Have His Own Statue In Downtown Los Angeles
Lamar left the Lakers in 2011, and officially retired in 2013, but his stretch with Bryant was hands-down the best years of his career. At that point, Kobe had the Lakers in full prosperity and it would continue that way until his career-altering Achilles tear in 2013.
In totality, it’s fair to say that Bryant was single-handedly keeping the Lakers relevant after their three-peat in the early 2000s. And today, as an 18x All-Star, 2x scoring leader, former MVP, and 5x champion, Bryant has more than delivered on an all-time great career.
For the Lakers, in particular, they plan to honor his greatness yet again by completing a statue of him and Gianna in 2024. “The promised Kobe Bryant statue outside LA’s Crypto.com Arena will incorporate his daughter Gigi and – in a nod to his jersey numbers, 8 and 24 – will be unveiled by the Lakers on August 8, 2024, an inside source has told DailyMail.com,” the report read.
Is Kobe Bryant The Greatest Laker Ever?
When you look at his accomplishments, it’s hard to discredit Kobe as one of the greatest players ever. He’s a natural-born winner and leader who worked hard to make sure nobody could stop him at his best.
As a Laker, the only players who have come close to matching Kobe’s legacy are Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Magic is a 12x All-Star, 3x MVP, and a 13-year Lakers veteran who led the ‘Showtime Lakers’ to the most prosperous era in franchise history. Kareem was right there with him until 1989 when he retired as a 6x MVP and 6x champion after 14 seasons with the Purple and Gold.
Fast forward to today, and LeBron James is etching his name on the wall of Lakers history, but he still has a while to go before he catches up to Kobe. For what he was and did for the city, Kobe was more than just a player for many people.
His “mamba mentality” and passion for success pushed the fans to better themselves and there’s no doubt that Bryant’s shadow will forever be felt all over the city for years and years to come.
Lamar Odom is one of the rare few who rode with Kobe during the best of times and he has testified for himself how powerful his impact was both on and off the court.
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