It didn’t take long before the world realized that Luka Doncic was a unique talent. There were plenty of experts doubting his ability to dominate in the NBA after becoming the youngest MVP in Euroleague history, with some even questioning whether he should be a lottery pick or not, let alone a top-3 talent.
One of the first to acknowledge Doncic’s greatness was no other than Kobe Bryant, who took the liberty to learn some bad words in Slovenian just to pay him some respects when they met in Staples Center. According to Doncic, it was one of the most unforgettable moments of his life:
“Yeah, I mean he said some bad words in my language, you know. I was like, ‘who is talking to me in my language?’ I was like, just looked behind and it was Kobe. So I was just… It was something amazing. I would never forget this day. And after the game, I came, took a picture with him. He was one of the guys I looked up to. That day was amazing and I’ll never forget this,” Doncic told Inside the NBA.
Kobe even asked him to take a picture with his daughter Gigi because he was his favorite player of the moment. That was the last time we ever saw Kobe and Gigi sitting courtside at the Staples Center.
And Doncic is surely paying tribute to Kobe Bryant lately. He’s playing with a bad ankle against one of the toughest teams in the world but just refuses to back down from the challenge. He even knocked a beautiful game-winning three-pointer to tie the series despite Kristaps Porzingis’ injury.
It’s amazing to see how many people were humbled and amazed by Kobe Bryant throughout his life. That’s why he’ll always be right here with us.
