LeBron James Says He's One Of The Few Who Can Understand Kobe Bryant's Mentality
After Kobe Bryant died in January, LeBron James vowed to carry on his legacy.
On Saturday, James led the Lakers to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, when Bryant won his fifth and final championship with the franchise.
After James had a 38-point, 16-rebound and 10-assist performance in the Lakers' 117-107 win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals, he took a moment to reflect on Bryant and what it means to restore the 16-time NBA champion Lakers to greatness.
"I mean, every time you put on purple and gold, you think about his legacy," James said in a video conference Saturday. "You think about him and about what he meant to this franchise for 20-plus years, and what he stood for both on the floor and off the floor. What he demanded out of his teammates and what he demanded out of himself. We have some similarities in that sense."
James, a three-time champion and four-time MVP, said he can relate to Bryant and his unyielding desire to win.
Bryant, a five-time champion and one-time MVP over his 20-season career with the Lakers, was famous for having marathon shooting sessions in the middle of the night. He played through countless injuries. He constantly pushed himself and others around him to be their best.
James said he not only understands that intensity, he shares it.
"Our games are different, but as far as our mindset and our drive to want to be the best and our drive to not lose, sometimes you're going to lose games, but that drive to always want to be victorious, it stops you from sleeping," he said. "And sometimes you put certain things -- you sacrifice a lot of things. You sacrifice your family at times because you're so driven to be so great that other things fall by the wayside at times. So I understand that."
Bryant was often misunderstood.
His drive to be the best verged on crazy. His blunt words alienated people. His single-minded focus was dizzying.
But not to James, who is four wins away from leading the Lakers back to the throne where Bryant last left them.
"I'm one of the few that can understand the mindset that he played with and the journey from high school to the NBA," he said. "It's just a thing that I carry with me."
