Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant were almost teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers, until former NBA Commissioner David Stern stepped in.
Now, the Oklahoma City Thunder point guard has opened up about the sudden and tragic death of Kobe. The veteran playmaker — who was a teammate of the lifelong Laker with the Team USA that won a gold at the Summer Olympics in 2008 and 2012 — posted a tribute on Instagram on Tuesday evening.
“I don't know if I'll ever be able to fully process it,” Paul wrote. “Sometimes we competed so hard against each other that you could never tell how I was always watching YOU!!”
https://www.instagram.com/p/B74mPgqluzJ/
Bryant and 13-year-old daughter Gianna, another young basketball prodigy like her old man, perished alongside seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Jan. 26.
Along with the veteran Thunder guard, who spent six seasons in LA with the Los Angeles Clippers, the NBA community has spent the last 48 hours mourning the loss of the Bryants as well as commemorating the Black Mamba's legacy. Players have worn Nos. 8 and 24 — the two numbers Bryant wore in his 20-year professional career—either during games or in pre-game shootaround while some players have informally started retiring the future Hall of Famer's numbers (like Brooklyn Nets guard Spencer Dinwiddie changing his from No. 8 to 26).
To recall, Paul was nearly traded to the Lakers in December 2011 before the commissioner vetoed the deal with the then-league-owned New Orleans Hornets.
Chris Paul was once a student of the game with Kobe Bryant as his teacher before the two became friends as NBA All-Stars and Olympic gold-medalist teammates. Bryant's passing will not go away any time soon from the minds of athletes and fans alike, but his legacy and impact on and off the court will forever be remembered.
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