Vanessa Bryant Still Fulfills Kobe Bryant’s Unsaid Promise to Matt Barnes

Building parks, creating statues, and promoting more children through their academy. Vanessa Bryant does these things and countless other philanthropic works to continue to honor the legacy of Kobe Bryant. It’s been over 5 years since the Lakers legend, alongside his daughter, passed away in an unfortunate crash. But Vanessa continues to remind everyone of her husband and daughter’s legacy on their special days. As stated earlier, not every deed of hers gets highlighted.

Matt Barnes, who had one of the closest friendships with Kobe, recently shared what the connection meant to him and his twins. Before the unfortunate news on the dreaded day of 26th January, 2020, Carter and Isaiah were ready with their teammates to play an AAU game. While Matt was processing the news he had to check on his kids as well. “I sat there for a minute, and then I went upstairs, and by that time the kids had heard about it. I could see that just the tears in the twins’ eyes because he was really Uncle Kobe to them”.

The former champion has explained the bond and how Kobe Bryant even trained the boys personally. In fact, he gave them a private workout for their 10th birthday and mentored them through their basketball journey. Further explaining about the relationship, Barnes stated, “I started playing with the Lakers when the Twins were three, and from the very first time he hugged them and gave them shoes, and literally every time a shoe dropped, he gave them shoes.” And now Vanessa Bryant continues that responsibility.

“Still, I mean, Vanessa, shout out to Vanessa, to this day, every time a Kobe drops, the twins are one of the first kids to get them“. This is not just a task to honor Kobe, but this signifies how much Vanessa cares about the people who hold the Lakers legend’s memory close to their hearts. That’s why the loss of Kobe still looms in Matt Barnes’ heart even today.

“So, I just knew how important he was to them and how he embraced my sons, which was something that really, you know, I had a lot of love for him for. So, that was tough, man. Obviously, you know, losing a brother and a teammate, but just what he meant to so many people was heavy.”

Despite love, Kobe Bryant shared one bitter advice with Matt Barnes’ kids

The former small forward documented the meeting of his twin sons and Bryant on his social media in 2019. Bryant and Barnes’ Lakers stint as teammates was short, from 2010 to 2012. But that proved to create a foundation for their off-court relationship. Not many teammates get to say that their bond with Black Mamba was tight after their careers. Barnes was one of the few who actually met the real personality of Kobe. Even his kids met the Lakers legend, and once they started training, the Mamba mentality was one of the first lessons.

Kobe Bryant provided the twins with the harsh reality they needed to turn their aspirations into tangible goals. “When they came into the gym ‘whats up’, hug, ‘whats up uncle Kobe’. So where you guys wanna go college? And simultaneously ‘we are going to UCLA, and Kobe’s like no you are not. Your dad said you like to play video games so you might go to school to be a student and not play basketball.” 

During an episode of the ‘Truth Lounge Show’, Matt Barnes revealed that during the twins’ first meeting with Bryant, the Los Angeles Lakers legend had inspired the boys in a very young way. If the kids wanted to pursue basketball seriously, then who better than Kobe to actually tell them the truth. That’s why even today, the former teammate of Kobe is quick to defend the 4x NBA champion to make sure his legacy is not tarnished.