Today is 8/24. For those who didn’t know, this day was recently declared Kobe Bryant day, which is obviously a big deal around the league, especially considering how emotional we are since yesterday was his birthday.
Kobe’s physical disappearance took a toll on all of us because he was so influential, such a great leader on and off the court. You can see shades of him all around the league, as he went sure to mentor the up-and-coming talents before leaving this planet.
One of his protegés was Kyrie Irving. Kyrie was clearly affected by the loss of his friend, mentor, and idol, and today he honored him with a heartwarming video explaining how much he meant to him and his development as a player and a person:
Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving (@KyrieIrving) pens video tribute to Kobe Bryant: "Kobe means to me what it means to plant seeds and watch them grow. To endure pain, trauma and hurt, and go through an array of negative emotions, how you feel about yourself." pic.twitter.com/DrvgvuTZep
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 24, 2020
Kobe meant so much to Kyrie that he was the very first person he called in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ locker room when he won the 2015-16 NBA Championship. He also claimed that he was looking forward to meeting him again and play one-on-one in heaven one his time comes.
Irving’s video is just amazing. It pens how much Kobe meant to everyone who ever got to know him, and even for those of us who didn’t know him but took his experience as motivation to constantly be a better version of ourselves.
The basketball world still can’t fathom the fact that Kobe’s gone. It’ll never feel real, it’ll never be fair. However, it’s just beautiful to watch how much of an impact he made around the league, and that’s why his legacy will never perish.
