JR Smith On Kobe Bryant: 'His Name Comes Up Every Single Day'

On what would've been Kobe Bryant's 42nd birthday, the Lakers are together in a bubble thinking about what he meant to the franchise -- and the world.

Bryant's name has become a rallying cry of sorts for the team as they compete for their first championship since 2010, when Bryant led the team to his fifth and final title.

"His name comes up every single day," Smith said in a videoconference call Sunday. "We chant his name after every break, after every huddle. We always speak of his memory. We speak of his mindset, how we can attach that to our team as individuals to collectively come together for this one common goal that we’re all trying to strive to get."

Smith, who's in his 16th season in the league, has had some epic battles against Bryant, including when his then-Denver Nuggets met the Lakers in the 2009 Western Conference Finals.

But Smith said his most memorable interaction with Bryant happened his rookie season with New Orleans in 2004-2005.

"[Assistant coach] Byron Scott was telling me, 'Hey rook, when you get in the game, Kobe gonna take two dribbles baseline, pump fake and just stay down,'" Smith recalled. "And the whole time I was just so hyped to play against Kobe, so hyped to play against the Lakers, so hyped to be in the situation I was in."

In fact, Smith was so excited that he didn't listen.

He figured Bryant had so many moves, why would he choose to do that exact one at that exact time.

Smith, of course, went on to get burned.

"Sure enough first play of the game, he gets in the game, two dribbles baseline, pump fakes, I jump, call foul, he makes a shot and within seconds the horn blows and I come out," Smith said. "That’s the one thing that sticks out the most."

But they went on to develop a friendship.

"When I was playing with the Knicks, I seen him a few times at dinner and just having those small conversations, those intimate conversations he’d just give me so much guidance as a person, as a player," Smith said.

Smith was not yet with the Lakers when they learned that Bryant died in a helicopter crash Jan. 26 as they were on the team plane flying home to Los Angeles after a game in Philadelphia.

It's something the Lakers have grieved all season long.

The Lakers will wear Black Mamba jerseys in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday, the 24th day of the eighth month, to honor the five-time champion on Kobe Bryant Day. The jerseys have black snakeskin print and 16 yellow stars on its sides, representing the 16 NBA championships that the franchise has won.

Lakers coach Frank Vogel said Sunday has been a hard day for everyone.

"It brings back a lot of the emotions of what happened," Vogel said. "We’re all still very sad about his loss and Gigi’s loss. It’s just a tough thing for all of us to handle and to go through."

Smith said that even though nearly seven months have passed since Bryant's death, it's still hard to fully grasp.

"Every time you hear his name every time you see his face, every time you see a picture of his daughter, so many memories hit you, and it still, you can’t believe that he’s gone," Smith said. "I woke up this morning just seeing pictures of him, you’re still in shock, still in awe. He was one of those people that you thought would be here forever.”