The Death of Kobe Bryant Hits Close to Home for Paul George and Kawhi Leonard
The tragic helicopter accident that resulted in the deaths of Kobe and Gianna Bryant, along with seven others, has had an impact on players throughout the NBA. Kobe's reach was near unparalleled as a superstar who took the time to mentor younger players around the league.
For players who grew up in Southern California with Bryant as their role model, his passing takes on an extra level of significance.
"We grew up, we're from here, it’s different when you talk about what guys thought of him from another state. We grew up here, we saw him every day on TV," Paul George said. "He’s the reason all of us played the game, so it’s different. It hits different for us from Russ [Westbrook], DeMar [DeRozan], myself, Kawhi, just all the SoCal guys, it just hits different. He was our MJ, he was our hero. He was our GOAT. It’s just going to hit different for us.
"Growing up as a SoCal kid he was what everybody, every kid wanted to be here," George added. "I started playing basketball because of Kobe. I attacked the game the way he played both ends. I took so much things away from him and he made a big impression on me as a kid, just about how to go about playing the game. I credit everything, aside from God-given talent, I credit everything else from him."
After idolizing Bryant before he got into the league, George developed a closer bond with him as a professional. Brian Shaw, who was George's assistant coach with the Pacers for two seasons and also won three titles with Bryant in Los Angeles, shared stories about him with George in Indiana, laying the foundation for their friendship later.
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Bryant was one of the first people to call George after he suffered a freak broken leg during a Team USA exhibition in the summer of 2014. When the injury happened, George remembered Bryant's stoicism when he tore his Achilles the previous year and tried to remain emotionless.
"When I seen Kobe tear his Achilles, it was no emotion. He did what he had to do," George said. "And that’s kind of how I got into that mindset of being strong, don’t cry, just deal with it, be strong for my family, for my parents."
Bryant also had a close relationship with Kawhi Leonard before he joined the Clippers. Leonard started reaching out to Bryant early in his career, asking for help with specific game situations. He said it was easy to call on Bryant during the offseason because they were essentially right down the street from one another.
When Leonard was traded to Raptors, he and coach Phil Handy, who had previously been on the Lakers coaching staff, worked out with Bryant over the summer before he moved to Toronto. Kobe was one of the first calls Leonard made in the locker room, aside from his family, after winning the 2019 NBA title.
Handy told The Undefeated, "When we won last year, we FaceTimed him and Kawhi just kept joking with him, 'I'm better than you.'"
"It’s just that motivation, I thought about him every game," Leonard said. "He had a sense of a drive for me last year trying to get that championship."
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Before this season, Leonard also sought advice from Bryant on how to manage playing in Los Angeles while living far from Staples Center since the first-year Clipper spends a lot of time in San Diego. Not only did Leonard consult with Bryant about using a helicopter for travel, he has flown with Ara Zobayan as his pilot.
"I talked to him about it before our transition to playing in LA. Just seeing how he got back and forth from Newport and he said he was doing it for about 17 years or so," Leonard said. "Same pilot, everything, the whole situation, this whole program, the set up, how he was traveling back and forth was the same way I was getting here from San Diego."
George and Leonard both spent time at the Mamba Academy this summer, even though they couldn't work out, just so they could pick Kobe's brain.
When the Clippers put together their tribute video for Bryant before Thursday's game, they asked George to narrate it. His reason for saying yes was simple: "Why would I turn that down?"
The tragedy of Sunday's helicopter accident will obviously linger with the Clippers, and the NBA, for a long time. The team appeared emotionally spent after a week of grieving and coping in Los Angeles. They will try to honor Bryant's memory as best they can, especially the two So Cal boys who grew up wanting to be like Kobe.
"If there was no Kobe Bryant, I don't know who I would've looked at and idolized," George said. "So when I think about me and basketball and how I got started... it'll be an amazing story to tell, that I picked this ball up because of this man."
