LeBron James on Admiration For Kobe Bryant: ‘Even At This Point Of My Career, It’s Still Special’

Kobe Bryant sat courtside witnessing the Lakers’ 122-101 win over the Hawks on Sunday night. He received a standing ovation from the Staples Center crowd, was seen dapping up countless players and even captured a photograph of his daughter posing with comedian Kevin Hart.

And as LeBron James helped his new-look Lakers cruise by the Hawks, captivating a home crowd with a flurry of exciting dunks, the new king of Hollywood took special note of the Lakers legend sitting nearby.

“I grew up watching him, admiring him. I was one of the kids obviously who had the chance to come straight outta high school. He did it,” James said after the victory. “It’s just so surreal for me. Just for a kid from Akron to have a guy like Kobe, just take time out of his day, even at this point of my career, it’s still special.”

James’s new head coach Frank Vogel agreed, saying after the game, “I got chills when the crowd started going nuts at his presence.”

With Bryant sitting on the floor, James made sure to impress, finishing the game with 33 points, 12 assists and seven rebounds. 

While Black Mamba sightings are relatively rare these days at the Staples Center, maybe the 11-2 Lakers will help lure the recently retired legend to more games.