Kobe Bryant was one of the greatest players of all time. And towards the end of his career, he tried to impart some of his wisdom onto younger players, as the Lakers went into their rebuild while he was still playing.
Kobe may have been tough on the younger players but guided them on the court. However, Bryant once got waved off by one of his younger teammates.
During the opening night game against the LA Clippers in 2014, Jeremy Lin brought the ball up the court. Kobe Bryant was trying to give him instructions for the play, but Lin could see the opponents adjusting in real-time. Lin eventually ignored Bryant, waving him off to go right and score a tough three-pointer over Chris Paul.
Lin clearly made the right play, as Bryant couldn’t see DeAndre Jordan adjusting to Bryant’s play-calling in real time because he had his back to him. While Bryant was usually tough on his teammates when they made mistakes, he surely would have praised Lin for making the right call.
Kobe Bryant Was A Great Mentor For Young Players
As mentioned above, Kobe Bryant was tasked with mentoring and guiding the young Lakers players during the final years of his NBA career. While Kobe wasn’t at his best physically, he had a lot of wisdom, knowledge, and tactics that he could impart to the young Lakers upstarts.
But when it came time to set the tone for the team during practices, Kobe wouldn’t hesitate. Jeremy Lin shared a story of his first practice with Bryant and the Lakers, noting that he and his teammates played 50 minutes of defense, but never got the ball off Kobe Bryant.
By 2013, Kobe Bryant had already accomplished everything in the NBA. He had won 5 NBA championships, 2 Finals MVPs, a regular season MVP, and 2 scoring titles. He had made 15 All-NBA teams and 9 All-Defensive first teams. So he was ready to mentor the next generation and take a back seat.
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