“It Hurts Me to This Day..young Man, His Life Cut So Short Because of That”: Kobe Bryant’s Lakers Mentor Bemoans His Sad Passing

Published 02/26/2023, 8:10 AM EST

Very few players leave a mark in the history of the NBA, let alone on ‘earth’. Kobe Bryant inspired millions of ballers and fans with his ‘Mamba mentality’ and heroics on the court. Needless to say, the 5x NBA champion, after an illustrious 20-year career, went down as one of the greatest players to ever grace the NBA hardwood. In fact, he is widely regarded as the greatest Laker ever. However, the NBA world lost the Hall of Famer in a tragic accident that even took his daughter Gianna Bryant’s life. His Lakers mentor recently reflected on his time in LA and paid tribute to the late, great Kobe Bryant.

Like the many who continue to mourn the sad passing of the then-40-year-old basketball icon, Gary Payton also recently expressed his disheartening grief. Payton has previously revealed that he took on a mentor’s role during his time with the Lakers. He opened up more about the infamous 2003-04 season with the Lakers recently.

Gary Payton grieved the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant

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Gary Payton appeared in an interview at the All-Star weekend in Salt Lake City. In the interview with Bubba Dub on ‘Trashh Talk’, the Seattle SuperSonics legend reflected on his one season with the Lakers in 2004. While doing so, the 9x All-Star discussed the star-studded dynamics of the superteam. The former Defensive Player of the Year also revealed his relationship with Kobe.

The Glove talked about how he and Karl Malone collectively managed the egos on the team. Shaquille O’Neal and Bryant weren’t on the best of terms at the time. Consequently, Malone and Payton had to hold them down and guide the team in a healthy direction. Malone stayed on the side of his fellow big man. Likewise, Payton took a young Bryant under his wing and actively took on a mentorship role.

After harping on his mentor-mentee relationship with Bryant, Payton slipped into an emotional monologue. While remembering the Black Mamba, Payton mournfully commented on the former’s tragic passing. He said, “It hurts me to this day, that a young man like him, and his life was cut short for that…he put a mark on this earth.”

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Needless to say, like Payton, many will continue to keep the Black Mamba in their hearts and minds for time to come; Rest in Peace, Kobe Bryant.

The 2004 Los Angeles Lakers ‘Superteam’

After winning their third straight title in the early 2000s, the Lakers added two more stars to their already stacked roster. Dr. Buss and Co added Karl Malone and Gary Payton to form one of the most infamous superteams in the history of the NBA. However, they fell short of living up to that title. Though the team sported 4x Hall of Famers, Malone, and Payton were evidently out of their primes. Furthermore, the roster was riddled with injuries, with O’Neal 15 games, Bryant 17 games, and Malone missing 40 games in the season. Moreover, O’Neal’s beef with the management added further fuel to the fire.

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But, despite all the chaos, the supposed dysfunctional squad made it all the way to the NBA Finals. However, they fell short of bringing home the NBA championship as they lost to the Detroit Pistons in five games.

After that season, most of the team was broken up; O’Neal was traded to the Miami Heat, Payton was sent to the Boston Celtics, and Malone retired after the season.

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Watch the Story – Kobe Bryant’s career-high against every team

Where do you rank the 2004 Lakers in your All-time team rankings? Let us know in the comments below.

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Written by:

K Shrijith is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Currently pursuing his BBA degree, Shrijith has a keen interest in the world of finance. In fact, he has past experience in equity research and writing research reports on the subject of finance.

Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth

“It Hurts Me to This Day..young Man, His Life Cut So Short Because of That”: Kobe Bryant’s Lakers Mentor Bemoans His Sad Passing

Gary Payton grieved the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant

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The 2004 Los Angeles Lakers ‘Superteam’