Lakers News: Manager Of Recent LA Lottery Pick Chooses Favorite Kobe Bryant Era

A very good choice here!

When reminiscing on the legacy of the late, great Kobe Bryant, many basketball fans enjoy looking at the Black Mamba's career as two separate ones entirely. He did get his number 8 jersey and number 24 jersey retired right next to each other, truly cementing himself into NBA and Lakers franchise history.

When I think about Kobe Bryant with a number 8 on his chest, the famous 81-point games instantly comes to mind along with endless amount of poster dunks, acrobatic finishes at the rim, and a number of running baseline jumpers. This was a version of Bryant that was at his peak athleticism and pairing that with his skill made him one of the most lethal three-level scorers we've ever seen. 

And then that 8 multiplied three times and we were given the honor of seeing the five-time champion rock number 24. Much his like jersey number grew, Bryant did as well as he experienced his most painful Finals defeat at this time at the hands of the Boston Celtics in 2008. However, this version of the Black Mamba relied on his IQ, leadership, and fundamentals to help him capture two more championships right after that 2008 loss.

So there you have it, we can talk about both of these sagas in his career all day and it's one of the most popular conversations around the NBA at all times. Former Lakers' lottery pick and starting forward Brandon Ingram formed a close bond with the legend seeing that he was drafted by the franchise just one year after Kobe retired.

Ingram's director of marketing, Jalen Jones, hopped on an episode of 'Scoop B Talks' and revealed that out of all the versions he was able to witness of Kobe, his favorite one was when he was young and dawned the number 8.

Which version of Kobe was the best Kobe?@hunnitkjae tells @ScoopB it’s young Kobe for him 🐍 pic.twitter.com/LeUifdfGZW

— Bovada (@BovadaOfficial) June 16, 2023

"I'd say young Kobe," said Jones. "Just because of all the adversity that he fought through and then still come out and do what he was doing. The three air-balls in the playoffs and all the adversity that went on and then still came out to fight every day. I think that was great."

(Via Scoop B)

Nobody will ever do it again like Kobe did!

Are you following us on Twitter, Facebook, or YouTube yet? Join the conversation as we discuss the latest Lakers news and rumors with fans like you!