Kyrie Irving pays tribute to mentor and friend, Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant would have turned 44 years old today. In honor of his birthday, many players and sports figures have come out to homenage the Legend. Among the players that have already shown their love and respect for the players is Kyrie Irving, a close friend of Kobe, who published a video called 'Dear Kobe, from Kyrie Irving". During the three-minute display, the Nets player explained all that Kobe meant to him, and to the basketball world.

Kyrie narrated, “How do you describe Kobe Bryant? It's like how you describe a God walking on Earth? You just can't, until you realize that all that is left is beautiful memories. Kobe means to me what it means to plant seeds and watch them grow. To endure pain, trauma, hurt, and go through a array of negative emotions and how you feel about yourself and also talk about the journey and the climb back to be something better.”

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Kyrie continued mentioning how Kobe's actions inspired him to become better, “When I witnessed Kobe in his 24 hours, he was inspired others through his actions. That is what I learned from Kobe. To challenge yourself every day to be better… I wanted to make this video with all intents and purposes of that this could be part of his legacy and part of the family's legacy, of what they mean to others. And what they've inspired and what is meant to my life” concluded the all-star player.

In the end, both players never played in the same team but they build a great friendship. Kobe at some point commented that he felt that Irving was to him, what he was to Michael Jordan. He felt like Irving's mentor. All we can do is try to follow what Kyrie Irving is doing and honor the Legend by following his good example. After all, Kobe was not only a great NBA player, but he also showed, time and time again, what a great person he was.

Kobe Bryant TV special

The Lakers will release a TV special honoring the late great, Kobe Bryant. The Lakers’ TV network announced it would air a compilation of interviews conducted throughout Bryant’s 20-year Lakers career to show what kind of person he was when he was not playing. The special “Backstage: Lakers.The Backstage Interviews: Kobe,”. The half-hour special will premier at 8 pm ET.