The whole basketball world was shaken by Kobe Bryant passing away in January. A lot of players have shared emotional stories from their time with Kobe and how they learned a lot from the Lakers legend. The latest to share their story is three-time All-Star Steve Francis.
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Back in the early 2000s, Bryant and Francis had multiple battles. But Francis was part of a struggling Rockets team, so the battles were often skewed. Recently Francis spoke to The Undefeated, where he spoke about Bryant.
“I remember playing the Lakers in Los Angeles one year,” Francis said. “Kobe always guarded me because he always wanted the challenge of taking the best player. I did a spin move on the baseline and made a fadeaway — something I had been working on all summer — and he goes, ‘Oh, you been working on your game.’ The fact he noticed, that meant a lot to me.”
Steve Francis talks about what he learned from Kobe Bryant
When asked about what he learned from Kobe, Francis said, “To always play hard. I started in the backcourt with Kobe during my three All-Star Games. And he’d get upset that people weren’t playing defense. Every time he took the court — even in the All-Star Game — he was playing to prove that he was the best player and we were the best team.”
Francis and Bryant started together on Team West in the All-Star Game for three consecutive years between 2002-2004. They won each game with Kobe winning the All-Star MVP in 2002.
Francis rose up the ranks quickly, but after he was traded away from Houston, his downward spiral began. He left the league at just 30 years old and also had a failed experiment with the Chinese Basketball League as well. Although he had a short tenure in the league, Francis is still an underrated player.
While Francis’ career ended in 2008, Bryant still had a lot to offer. He went on to win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010, to end his career with a tally of five rings, just one short of his idol Michael Jordan.
Mamba may be gone but he will never be forgotten and players across will never stop being inspired by him.
