Kobe reveals his 4 closest teammates

Kobe Bryant has been in the game for nearly two decades, but he keeps his circle extra tight.

In the foreword for Caron Butler's book, "Tuff Juice: My Journey from the Streets to the NBA," the Los Angeles Lakers veteran named the four teammates that he clicked with automatically: Butler, Pau Gasol, Derek Fisher, and Ronnie Turiaf.

Kobe writes:

It's very rare for me to open up to somebody like that, but I just had a connection with him. He's one of my favorite teammates.

When that happens, it makes the season better. It doesn't always happen. It's not something that I need to happen, but there are certain players that I just automatically get along with. You gravitate to each other because you eye to eye on things and you get along extremely well. And Caron was one of those players.

There aren't many like that. There's Caron, there's Pau, there's D. Fish, and Ronnie Turiaf. That's four guys in a twenty-year career.

- With h/t to Complex