What LeBron James Wishes He Could've Asked Kobe Bryant
When LeBron James chose to leave Cleveland for Los Angeles in 2018, he wanted some guidance.
He planned to share a meal with Kobe Bryant and pick his brain about playing in the city of glitz, glamour and unyielding pressure.
But the meeting between two of the all-time greats never happened amid their whirlwind schedules.
In an interview with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports, James said that still eats him up.
“Of course, you think there’s going to be time for us to get together and I understand that there are regrets in life, but I definitely wish I had that moment with him,” James told Yahoo Sports. “I do remember when I decided to come here, he sent me a text right away and said, ‘Welcome, brother. Welcome to the family.’ That was a special moment because at the time, Laker faithful wasn’t [fully in on me]. A lot of people were saying, ‘Well, we might not want LeBron at this point in his career,’ and, ‘Is he right? Is he going to get us back [to The Finals]?’ So to hear from him and get his stamp of approval, it meant a lot. I don’t ever question myself, but when it’s coming from Kobe, it definitely meant a lot.”
Over Bryant's 20-season career with the Lakers, he was a five-time champion, 18-time All-Star, two-time Finals MVP and one-time regular season MVP in 2008.
He expertly managed the crushing criticism that comes with playing in the second-largest media market in the nation, using it as fuel instead of letting it deflate him.
If that meeting had happened, James said there were a few things in particular he wanted to discuss with Bryant.
“When I played in Cleveland, I grew up 35 minutes away from there, and so I kind of knew the people," James told Yahoo Sports. "When I went down to Miami, [Dwyane Wade] was able to give me the blueprint on that. But I never played for a historic franchise like the Lakers. It’s probably like when [Alex Rodriguez] went to the Yankees. He probably heard from [Derek] Jeter on what it's going to take to play in front of this. It’s different from playing with the Mariners. It’s different from the Rangers. I would have definitely loved to get that side of what it takes, what does it take to win over Laker faithful or how can I make them appreciate my game. … That would have been something to pick his brain on.
“And then probably talk about us never meeting in the Finals. Just apologizing to him. In f---ing ’09 when I lost to Dwight [Howard], that would have been a great conversation for sure. You know, just to be like, we didn’t give the people what they wanted. We didn’t give them what they wanted.”
Bryant died in a helicopter crash Jan. 26 alongside his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people.
After Bryant's death, James vowed to honor his legacy.
He has taken the Lakers to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2010, when Bryant won his fifth and final championship with the team.
