Phoenix Suns shooting guard Devin Booker made his first comments on Tuesday about the tragic passing of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.

Booker was in tears on Sunday when the Suns and Memphis Grizzlies honored Bryant by running 24 seconds off the shot clock. Like he was to many, Bryant was Booker's idol growing up:

Former NBA point guard Jameer Nelson said this past summer Booker reminded him of a young Kobe Bryant. Booker has established himself as one of the best scorers in the league. He scored a whopping 70 points during the 2016-17 season against the Boston Celtics.

Much was made of Booker’s complaint about getting double-teamed in pick-up games over the offseason. Nelson said Booker should accept the challenge of getting double-teamed in the summer because it’s a sign of respect.

Not only did Bryant used to get double-teamed during pick-up games, he actually encouraged it and told the other team to send one more guy to make it a triple-team. This is what we call that “Mamba Mentality.” Bryant loved competing at the highest level and always wanted to work on his game. It’s why he won five championships with the Lakers and cemented himself as the greatest player in franchise history.

Kobe Bryant was cut from the Michael Jordan cloth. They went down as two of the fiercest competitors in NBA history. Devin Booker is going to strive for his own greatness and do his best to honor his idol moving forward. The Suns are 19-27 on the season. They are in 11th place in the West standings.