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EL SEGUNDO, CA OCT. 1, 2012. Lakers star player Kobe Bryant is all smiles during the teams’ media day at their El Segundo training facility on Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. (Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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EL SEGUNDO, CA OCT. 1, 2012. Lakers star player Kobe Bryant is all smiles during the teams’ media day at their El Segundo training facility on Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. (Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Kobe Bryant affected the lives of almost everyone he indulged with. And even as a celebrity that spectators watched on TV, he was a role model for many. However, he actually started opening up about his human and sensitive side after the end of his career.
Otherwise, he was like a robot on the court. It was like someone programmed him to kill the ambitions of his opponents on the court. Yet, it was only after his death that several former and current NBA stars began getting vocal about what Kobe meant to them.
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EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. – APRIL 30, 2013. Kobe Bryant spoke with reporters after his exit interview with the Lakers on Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at the team’s training facility in El Segundo. (Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Former WNBA star opens up about her relationship with Kobe Bryant
Former WNBA star Lisa Leslie appeared on The Players’ Tribune’s podcast, ‘Knucklehead with Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles’. The veterans Quentin Richardson and Darius Miles invite special guests, high-profile athletes, musicians, and entertainers to get brutally honest on the podcast. They discuss current events and undiscovered stories from the golden age of sports and entertainment.
Darius asked Leslie about her relationship with Kobe. She said, “Kobe was like a little brother in some ways.” Since Leslie was friends with Kobe’s sister Shaya Bryant, she spent a lot of time with the Bryant family after they moved to LA. Hence, she said that she felt a family bond with the Bryants.
She admitted that she even told her mom that the Bryants were exactly like her family. “Then the basketball side of it was just. Kobe and I obviously both played. He would be like ‘LIZ! Come here!” He would be watching video and always, always watching video, watching basketball. And me again, a student of the game, I’m in the room watching video with Kobe.”
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LOS ANGELES, CA, TUESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2014 – Lakers guard Kobe Bryant. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Leslie’s Relationship with the Bryants
She admitted Kobe would always either be in the room watching basketball videos. It shows his devotion to the game. She said “Kobe was a connection with basketball” Considering that Kobe’s father was Leslie’s coach at a point, they also trained together on the court. Then Kobe joined the Lakers. And once they had both matured through the league, they spoke about more personal things like kids and family. Truly a wholesome friendship.
That is truly a testament to the fact that Leslie and Kobe shared a special relationship. Kobe indeed had a unique impact on everyone’s lives.
