Kobe Bryant has a bit of history with newly-named Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham. The 48-year-old shot-caller spent a couple of seasons with the Lakers as an assistant under Mike Brown during the latter years of Kobe's career. As it turns out, Ham left quite an impression on the Black Mamba.

An old scouting report about Kobe's relationship with Ham has resurfaced, and it details how the Lakers superstar “raved” about his workouts with then-Atlanta Hawks assistant coach Darvin Ham. Apparently, Bryant and Ham formed quite a bond during their time together in Hollywood (h/t Lakers on Twitter):

“[Kobe and Darvin] had daily sessions after practice. Because Darvin was a physical player, he’s a physical coach. Kobe said, ‘I love that. That helped my game.’”

Darvin Ham might not be a household name and his resume as a head coach is literally non-existent. After all, this will be his first year as an NBA head coach. Nevertheless, it is clear that this man is highly regarded within the NBA. For a legend such as Kobe Bryant to speak so highly of him is certainly a huge win in Ham's book — one that should have Lakers fans hyped for the upcoming season.