Kobe Bryant was synonymous with the Los Angeles Lakers during his time at the Staples Center, the Mamba’s time with the franchise spanned over 2 decades. While he was the undisputed main star following Shaq’s departure, his latter years saw Kobe struggle with a number of injuries and watch the Lakers go through a bit of a rebuilding process.
A number of today’s NBA stars passed through Los Angeles, names like D’Angelo Russell, Julius Randle, Lonzo Ball and Kyle Kuzma all started their careers with the Lakers. And while some of them came in after Kobe’s retirement in 2017, all of them were privy to advise and motivation from one of the greatest to ever do it.
Kuzma was drafted by the Lakers after Bryant was already retired but he was still around to give the young Kuzma some guidance. The two were so close that Kobe’s tragic passing in 2020 left Kuz distraught. He has clearly carried Kobe’s words with him, sharing some of them during a Q&A on Twitter.
Life happens…storms come and go you just stay calm. https://t.co/bQa0c0Fs54
— kuz (@kylekuzma) January 5, 2022
The Prettiest Laker Fan: “What’s something Kobe told you that you’ll never forget?”
Kuzma: “Life happens… storms come and go you just stay clam.”
Bryant’s own time in the NBA was quite turbulent, he had a number of disagreements with teammates, coaches and the organization, to say nothing of the off-field issues that Kobe faced. This piece of advice from him was clearly something he had learned from his 20 years performing at the very highest level.
Kuzma has had to deal with ups and downs of his own. Although he is an NBA champion with the Lakers, he was traded to the Washington Wizards in 2021 and had to deal with plenty of criticism during his time in LA. He does however, have no shortage of greats to take advice from, revealing later in the Q&A something he learned from playing alongside LeBron James.
Great ones do it all! https://t.co/gXlKE0c4AJ
— kuz (@kylekuzma) January 5, 2022
Kuzma has been solid for the Wizards since being traded to the franchise, a solid contributor to Washington, who have put themselves in the conversation for the playoffs despite losing Russell Westbrook in the trade that brought Kuz to the team. Kuzma still has a long career ahead of him and if he can put his head down and maximize his talent, he could still become a star in the league.
