What does a nod from Kobe Bryant in an empty arena look like? For this Aces star, it was everything. Though he dominated on the court, the Lakers legend also mentored a new generation of stars. The list includes Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kawhi Leonard, Candace Parker, Sabrina Ionescu, and Hailey Van Lith, among others. There was also a special star whom he gave the Gold Mamba moniker, Jewell Loyd.

The Aces star met with Black Mamba even before her WNBA debut in 2015. A decade later, she is starting another chapter, this time in Las Vegas. After winning two titles with the Storm, she looks now to add another. Last year’s MVP A’ja Wilson and co were looking for a three-peat but faltered at the Semifinals stage, 1-3 to the eventual champions, New York Liberty. Now, they have added Loyd, a bucket getter with 19.7 points last season. But before being a WNBA star, she was a hooper.

That’s when she met Kobe Bryant. In October 2014, Loyd’s father sidled courtside to implore Kobe’s assistant coach. “I went to a Bulls game, and they were playing the Lakers. Kobe wasn’t playing; he was actually hurt. But my dad, early before the game got started, he went down there and talked to the assistant coach.” Loyd appeared on the Run Your Race podcast. Calvin Loyd, a tennis instructor, spoke to the assistant coach and made sure her daughter was a big deal, big enough to meet Kobe Bryant.

Since the Lakers legend was in the game, he did not meet with Jewell Loyd. As Bryant hobbled out in the second quarter, he locked eyes with 18‑year‑old Loyd and nodded. “Kobe comes out and he’s looking, it’s like second quarter, and he looks at me. And he’s like yeah, (nodding yes). ‘I’m like Yeah.’ He’s (dad) like, ‘Yeah, I did that. I did that, I told I told Kobe to do that.” This interaction later led to the Lakers legend following her on X, and that makes the start of their relationship.

She called it “life-changing”. Loyd continued, “So then after that I literally just started texting him back and forth like ‘Hey, what do I do here?’ And we just constantly just got closer and closer.” The interaction in the United Center was the beginning and also impacted the 31-year-old’s major decision.

Following a Kobe Bryant-like approach brought immediate success to Jewell Loyd

The Notre Dame alum lost the NCAA championship game in her junior year. But instead of running it back with the squad, she already had plans to turn pro. The determination from Loyd from so strong that she was willing to go overseas if the WNBA draft did not produce the result she hoped for. Loyd’s resolve wasn’t born overnight; she’d spent her junior season averaging 19.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 steals, numbers that displayed her readiness to compete at the next level. The 2x NBA had the fearless approach thanks to her mentor, ‘Black Mamba‘.

Her and Bryant had begun regular text exchanges as early as October 2014, with Kobe advising her on everything from finishing through contact to navigating pick‑and‑roll defense. “I don’t think people understand like this whole like high school to college, I’m talking to Kobe every day. I’m learning from him, I’m asking him questions about you know getting top blocked, and how to curl screen and defense, does this like so I’m learning every single day.” The Aces guard said on the same podcast. “I’m learning from him, I’m doing all these extra workouts like I’m preparing. So I was like, ‘Yeah it’s it’s it’s time for me to leave, like I think I’m ready. I’m prepared, and if not, I’ll just go play overseas.”

Even after draft night vindicated her choice, Kobe remained in her corner.

“When I watched her play, certain things can stand out,” Bryant told The Summit. “Like I can tell if a player is really serious about the game or if they’re just bs’ing. If you’re bs’ing I’m not going to give you the time of day. If you’re really committed to the process, really committed to working, perfecting your craft, then I can pick up on that pretty quick,” said Kobe, praising Loyd’s unrelenting work ethic.

That assessment proved prophetic: Loyd captured the 2015 WNBA Rookie of the Year honors after averaging 10.7 PPG. The 31-year-old soon evolved into a perennial All‑Star and two‑time Olympic gold medalist.