During his playing days, Bryant was a fierce competitor who earned the respect of his peers but also became a mentor to the next generation of stars.

Dallas Mavericks star Kyrie Irving was fortunate enough to befriend Bryant and the two would go on to have a close relationship even after the latter retired from basketball.

Now, Irving is days away from competing in the NBA Finals again and he reflected on his relationship with Bryant, via Abby Jones of Bally Sports Southwest:

“I don’t know if anyone in here has ever lost a mentor or lost someone that’s a little bit older than them, meant something to them. Even if you guys don’t talk everyday, there was still that connection that they were always gonna be there for you. It wasn’t just him, it was his family as well. They supported me unconditionally. I miss him every single day, just alongside the rest of the world and all the Kobe supporters around the world. He held such a big presence. He knew what his power was. He knew what his superpowers were. And they weren’t on the court all the time. They were his ability to approach life, how he inspired you to continue to do extra, even when you got tired. I think his life lesson has transcended basketball or any sport or any entertainment business, it really helped spark the new brains of this new generation to carry the torch. That’s what I felt like he was teaching me, to be able to carry the torch and also know how to pass it along. Obviously along that journey he’s won a few championships that I’m still enamored with, still chasing to a certain degree. I do want to be able to sit at that table to say that I have multiple championships and I’m a multiple champion in the best league in the world.”

There have been rumors for years that Irving would eventually don the purple and gold like Bryant did, but even if he never suits for the Lakers, he learned well from the Black Mamba.

Now back in the NBA Finals, Irving has a chance to do Bryant and all Lakers fans a favor by beating the Boston Celtics.

Kyrie Irving expresses gratitude for Lakers’ Kobe Bryant’s teachings

Kyrie Irving was able to learn a lot about basketball and life from Kobe Bryant and he reflected deeply on what he took away from their time together:

“He always reminds me to enjoy the journey. The journey is the reward. Put it in perspective. There are billions of people that are gonna love you. There are billions of people that are not going to love you. I think you should make the right choice to stick to your guns and go with the people that support you through and through. Make them proud, make yourself proud. Everyday he walks with me in spirit. I feel his presence everyday. I’m just grateful that I got a chance to know somebody like that and I got a chance to challenge somebody like that to one-on-one, just to pick his brain. Just understanding that there are bigger things than just the game of basketball like women empowerment. But also doing the little things that people don’t see, meaning helping the world selflessly. I could go on and on about this, but he helped out a lot of people that no one really knows about. He did things without anyone’s praise. I try to follow in that same lineage and create my own path, create my own formula to success while also commemorating his formula that he gave me.”

Irving’s comments speak to how revered Bryant was as a player and person and anyone can take something away from the Lakers legend’s approach to everything he did.