Years after his passing, people are still talking about the competitiveness and drive of Kobe Bryant.
Speaking with Kevin Garnett and All the Smoke Productions, Gary Payton talked about how close he grew to Bryant and how he touched him.
As a young player, Bryant approached Payton and said he wanted to learn from him.
Payton was moved by that gesture and opened up to the young Los Angeles Lakers star.
They became very close and Payton was amazed to see someone with such talent constantly wanting more from himself.
Gary Payton explains Kobe Bryant’s unique desire to learn from NBA legends:⁰⁰“Kobe didn’t have a fear of nothing to ask nobody to get better… A kid with his ability, and knowing where he was going, wants to really learn and he doesn’t have an ego.”@GaryPayton… pic.twitter.com/4wHkGXXpk8
— All the Smoke Productions (@allthesmokeprod) September 18, 2024
Payton said he acted as a mentor to Bryant, especially when they briefly played together.
He said Bryant approached the game with no ego, just a desire to always get better no matter how much success he had found.
Payton loved to see Bryant get better but also loved how it improved his game as well.
He said that he taught Bryant a few tricks and helped him evolve, which required that he be a better defender too.
Because he was teaching Bryant, Payton himself also upped his game.
Payton said that he and Bryant remained close until the Lakers star passed in 2020 and they spoke just a few months before his death.
You can tell in this interview that he meant a lot to Payton and he greatly valued their time together.
Payton had a historic career and is a nine-time All-Star and Hall of Famer.
That means that Bryant was wise to ask him for advice and guidance during those formative years.
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