Miami Heat’s Victor Oladipo Remembers The Late Kobe Bryant Throughout the Years
The NBA world mourns the loss of NBA legend Kobe Bryant three years after he and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash.
Players around the league still remember Bryant’s impact even years later.
Miami Heat guard Victor Oladipo mourned Bryant’s death when he was with the Indiana Pacers.
Two days after the helicopter crash, Oladipo said he wished he shared a moment with the late legend.
“I felt like I didn’t get my special moment with him,” Oladipo said. “I had a relationship with him, I talked to him on the phone a couple times, but I never got to even meet him in person. I never got to play against him, never got to play with him, never got to work out with him.”
On Jan. 29, Oladipo returned against the Chicago Bulls after missing nearly a year due to injury. He only had nine points in the victory but his lone 3-pointer of the night sent the game into overtime. An emotional Oladipo said his clutch shot was dedicated to Bryant.
“I just shot it man,” Oladipo said in the postgame interview. “Mamba mentality. That’s for Kobe, GiGi and all those people that were on that helicopter. It’s been a tough year but tough times don’t last, tough people do."
One year ago, Oladipo had more words for Bryant
“I think the biggest moment for me was my first time talking to him on the phone,” Oladipo said. “Just picking his brain about certain movements, certain reads, mentality. He was just so willing to teach and give back even though he didn’t have to. But that was just Kobe. He wanted those after him to have the same opportunities he did. And that’s why his legacy will live on forever.”
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Jayden Armant is a contributor to Inside the Heat. He is a student at Howard University. He can be reached at jayden.armant@bison.howard.edu or follow him on Twitter @jaydenarmant.
