LeBron praises Kobe, regrets not meeting in 2009 Finals
LeBron James was saddened by the news of Kobe Bryant's decision to retire at the end of the season.
They were billed as rivals, shoehorned into opposite narratives, and their respective greatness was propped up as the ultimate talking point in the post-Jordan era, but at the heart of it all, James was a great admirer of Bryant.
"It was kinda sad, actually. Obviously it was going to happen at some point to everybody, but to know that this is Kobe's last year, it's just sad man. He's had a hell of a career," James told reporters at shootaround Tuesday.
In the 12 minutes James spoke, he didn't hesitate to lavish Bryant with praise, and told countless parables of how Bryant influenced his life and his career. He had posters of Bryant in his room as a kid, Bryant gave him his sneakers when James met him for the first time as a junior in high school, and James even wore his hair in a "nappy a-- fro" to mimic Bryant.
Most importantly, they shared the court on the world's biggest stages - with the exception of one: the NBA Finals.
They appeared destined for a long-awaited Finals matchup in 2009, but James' Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference semifinals. The Cavaliers had finished the regular season with 66 wins, while Bryant's Los Angeles Lakers had 65.
"I didn't hold up my end of the bargain in 2009 for the fans, for us, to meet in the Finals," James said. "I know the world wanted to see it. I wanted it, we wanted it. He held up his end and I didn't hold up my end, and I hate that. I hate that that didn't happen."
Bryant's Lakers went on to defeat the Magic in the first of back-to-back title runs.
James, however, did eventually play with Bryant on the 2008 and 2012 "Redeem Teams" for Team USA and spoke admirably about Bryant's leadership and character in leading those squads.
"I knew he was on another level during our first game we played Spain in 2008 in the preliminary rounds. The first play of the game he ran through the chest of Pau Gasol and got a flagrant. And Pau Gasol was his teammate with the Lakers. I was like, 'Yeah, this guy is on another level.' Yeah. I loved it," James said.
Finally, James spoke about how Bryant inspired him to work harder as a player, and how he'll miss his relentless work ethic.
"Every day that I didn't want to work out or every day I felt like I couldn't give more, I always thought of Kobe. Because I knew that he was getting better and I was like, 'Man, if you take a day off, he's going to take advantage of it. You cannot take a day off. You cannot take a day off.' And I used him for my motivation throughout my career because I always knew that he was working on something. So, that part will be missed a little bit."
- With h/t to ESPN