‘He Was a Flier’: Tiger Woods Had an Empathetic Message for Lakers Legend Kobe Bryant After a Saddening Announcement in 2015

Not many people understand the aches and pains of being an athlete. Only other athletes can truly comprehend the scrutiny, the injuries, and the weight on their shoulders. Tiger Woods is one of the greatest athletes ever and has achieved tons in golf. Similarly, in the NBA, Kobe Bryant’s name comes up frequently when discussing the best players to ever play the game.

Unarguably, these two sportsmen have had magnificent careers. They understood what each other had sacrificed and been through to achieve that level of glory in their respective sports. Tiger was one of the few who understood and empathized with Kobe after he announced his retirement.

Tiger Woods’ Opinion on Kobe’s Retirement

In November 2015, Kobe announced that, at the end of that season, he would retire from the NBA. After a 20-year run with the Lakers, Kobe had decided it was time to leave after the toll of his injuries finally caught up to him.

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Woods, who himself has had many ups and downs in his career, empathized with Kobe and said, “Twenty years in the NBA is more than 20 years in most sports.” The golfing legend had been an avid Lakers fan and had seen Kobe at his best. He knew that the past few years had been tough for the NBA superstar. He said, “He was a flier. You only have so many jumps in a body and on top of that only so many landings. And the last three years, he’s gone through some pretty tough injuries.”

Tiger understood what Kobe had been through, having spent the majority of his career in peak condition, training and playing as well as he did, eventually wearing down the body. He said, “It’s just tough. It’s been tough to watch him go through the season he’s had, and it’s understandable — he’s been in there for 20 years.”

Kobe Bryant had five championship rings and had played 20 seasons with the Lakers, including two Olympic games, and Tiger knew that kind of dedication wasn’t easy and had repercussions, stating, “You add up all those games, it takes a toll on the body and eventually it just doesn’t heal any more.”

Woods and Kobe’s comparable career

Woods and Kobe shared quite a similar career. Tiger has the same passion and dedication for golf that Kobe had for basketball. Both have also suffered multiple injuries over their careers. Although Tiger is still playing the game, fans can see that time has taken its toll on Woods as well.

Kobe’s game started deteriorating in the last few years of his career, and despite that he won a lot too. 5 Championship rings is no ordinary feat. Woods took 11 years between his last two majors, winning the US Open in 2008 and the Masters in 2019. He has 15 majors in total and is three away from Jack Nicklaus’ record. Can he break past his career trend with Kobe , and go on to yet another record?

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Tiger Woods has undoubtedly accomplished lots as a golfer, and fans now wonder if he can perform on the same level. With him now set to be on course at the end of the month, it’s only a matter of time till it’s clear.