Kobe Bryant has always been widely regarded as one of the best basketball players to ever live and play in the NBA. It wasn’t just Kobe’s abilities that people admired though, his ‘Mamba Mentality’ was something that inspired millions, including the NBA superstars of today.
One of the current generation that was really close to Kobe is Kyrie Irving, who looked up to the Lakers star and was known to talk to him when he needed guidance. When Bryant tragically passed away in January 2020, Irving was among the stars to pay tribute to the NBA great.
He even bought Mambacita hoodies for every player on the Nets last year, with the proceeds going to the Mamba and Mambacita Foundation that was founded in the memory of Kobe’s young daughter Gianna Bryant, who also tragically lost her life alongside her father.
Kyrie Irving bought each player on the Nets a Mambacita hoodie 👏
100% of the proceeds will support the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation, founded in memory of Gianna Bryant.
(h/t @BrooklynNets) pic.twitter.com/gF2TyyNaHF
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 2, 2021
And Kyrie clearly still keeps them in his thoughts, recently sharing a tribute to Kobe and his daughter Gianna on Instagram. The picture was captioned ‘Mambas Forever’, in refence to Kobe’s nickname that he carried for the entirety of his career.
The untimely loss of Kobe, Gianna and seven other people in a helicopter crash is something that will stay with NBA fans and players for a long time, so it is lovely to see Kyrie pay his respects. January 26th will mark the 2-year anniversary of the tragic event and it is sure to be an emotional day for everyone involved with the game of basketball.
Irving has received a lot of criticism in the past year, after he refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine and effectively having to sit out of the start to the Nets’ season. The Brooklyn Nets star is back with the team though, and is expected to make his season debut on Wednesday night when they take on the Pacers.
