76ers Legend Allen Iverson Pens a Letter to Late, Great Kobe Bryant

Back in the late 90s and the early 2000s, Philadelphia 76ers matchups against the Los Angeles Lakers were always must-see television. As Allen Iverson ran the show in Philly, and Kobe Bryant starred in a Lakers uniform, it was always a battle between two future NBA legends.

At the time, Iverson and Bryant seemed like bitter rivals considering the circumstances, but that couldn't have been further from the truth. Sure, Iverson and Bryant didn't make friends on the court due to their competitiveness, but off the court, it was all love.

So on Monday, August 24th (8/24, for those who haven't caught on), Allen Iverson wrote a tribute to his former rival via The Players' Tribune. In the piece, Iverson recalled his favorite memory about Kobe Bryant and praised the late, great Laker for everything that he accomplished while he was in the NBA.

"Remember when I came out to L.A. for the first time our rookie year?" Iverson wrote as he recalled one of his first road trips in Los Angeles as a first-year member of the Sixers. "You picked me up at the hotel, and we went out for some food, and you asked me what I was getting up to later. I said I was going to the club. I mean, we in L.A.! I'm going to the club, Kobe. Come on, man. And what did you say? 'I'm going back to the gym.' You're probably the only dude in the history of the game where the mystique wasn't exaggerated. The Mamba was no myth, man."

Iverson then went on to describe the competitive, but very close relationship he had with his fellow legend. While Iverson, like many of us, is still in disbelief that Kobe Bryant is no longer with us, the former Sixers star can't help but be happy about the time he spent going against Bryant and forming a friendship with his competitive rival. "Those memories aren't going anywhere," Iverson wrote. I don't really know how to say goodbye to an NBA legend, a father, a husband, a friend. I don't really have the words. All I know is … I love you, brother."

Justin Grasso covers the Philadelphia 76ers for Sports Illustrated. You can follow him on Twitter: @JGrasso_