As part of a recent interview with The Athletic's Omari Sankofa II, former Memphis Grizzlies guard Tony Allen lamented the fact that he didn't get to spend as much time as he would've liked with Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

Bryant was killed in a helicopter crash just outside Los Angeles on Jan. 26. Sadly, all nine passengers on the flight, including Kobe's 13-year-old daughter Gianna, perished in the tragic accident. The group was on its way to the Mamba Sports Academy, where Kobe was to serve as a coach for Gianna's basketball team.

For many NBA fans, Kobe was the closest to reaching the skill set of the great Michael Jordan. Kobe mimicked Michael in many ways, including his style of play and social mannerisms. The Grizzlies legend touched on this point during his interview:

“Whenever you hear a great like that pass away, you never believe it’s true, right?” Allen said, via The Athletic. “That’s the guy. I visioned him doing everything Michael is doing, Michael Jordan to be exact. He was my Michael Jordan, the closest thing to it. I don’t know, man, it was a tragedy. How can I go about saying this? Man, it was tough. He lost his daughter. That was tough. Just the whole situation, man. It makes your heart melt.”

Allen and Bryant squared off against one another several times, including in the 2008 and 2010 NBA Finals when Allen was with the Boston Celtics. For the most part, Allen played well against The Black Mamba. Kobe took note of Allen's defensive prowess, once noting that he was “the best defender he's ever faced.” In their 10 playoff matchups, Bryant averaged 26.4 points but shot just 38.7 percent from the floor, and Allen wishes he could've talked with Kobe more about those matchups:

“I wish I would’ve had an opportunity to sit down with him and be a friend,” Allen said. “I wish I … sat down with him and picked his brain on what he was thinking in 2008, when we beat him, or in 2010 when they beat us. Which Tony Allen did he feel was the best defender? Talk about some of our battles. It’s just a lot. It’s bad for the game of basketball, it hurt a lot of people in the game of basketball and it was a tragedy, man. It’s just tough, it’s tough.”

Clearly, Kobe's life and legacy had an impact on Allen, who is now serving as a player development coach with the Memphis Hustle (Grizzlies' G League affiliate). Allen still draws inspiration from Kobe to this day.

At 41 years of age, Bryant was taken far too soon. However, the memories, as well as his Mamba Mentality, will live on.