Kyrie Irving revisits Kobe Bryant ‘hate train’ - “Media turned on him, fans turned on him”
Kyrie Irving considered the late Kobe Bryant his mentor and one of his closest friends. Before Bryant died in a helicopter crash, Irving had repeatedly spoken about the influence 'The Black Mamba' had on him. Years after the LA Lakers legend’s death, the Dallas Mavericks star continues to share a few stories about his relationship with Bryant.
On Thursday, Uncle Drew joined Kai Cenat’s live stream to interact with the Twitch sensation and fans. When asked to tell a Bryant story, Irving started with how some perceived KB24 before:
(1:04 mark)
“The perception of him was crazy, too. Let’s not forget that people were on the Kobe hate train for a while. He wasn’t always the most favorite athlete. … Kobe was like one of those ones that meet out the fire, media turned on him, fans turned on him. And to be a Kobe fan when you were younger during those times, you really had to have those tough conversations.”
Kobe Bryant rubbed some people the wrong way during his NBA days. He was brash, talked trash, feuded with Shaquille O'Neal and was accused of sexual assault in 2003. The perception around Bryant changed as he grew older. By the time he retired, he was considered an icon in sports.
Kyrie Irving added that he asked Bryant how he dealt with the negativity and how he was more open to life when he left the league.
Kyrie Irving said Kobe Bryant didn’t want to be looked up to as a hero
Kai Cenat and his friends listened in rapt attention to Kyrie Irving opening up about his relationship with Kobe Bryant. The 2016 champ with the Cleveland Cavaliers shared the important lesson he learned from KB24:
“His approach to life [and] his approach to the game of basketball was something that was transformative. It gave us a hero to look up to. But also, he didn’t wanna be looked up to as a hero. He wanted to always let you know, ‘You wanna be better than me. Don’t strive to be where I’m at. Try to strive to go past.’”
The audience listening to Irving nodded in agreement as he shared life lessons from his relationship with the Bryant.