Former NBA star Scottie Pippen shared some poignant words about the life of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, one that came to an end on Sunday when a helicopter crash took him along with his daughter Gianna and seven other passengers in Calabasas.
Pippen, who played in the NBA through the early part of Bryant's career before retiring from the NBA in 2004, shared some thoughts about the late Lakers great:
“It still feels like a horrible dream, but I wanted to share a few words about Kobe as we mourn losing him, his beautiful daughter Gianna, and the others who tragically passed,” wrote Scottie Pippen in a Twitter thread.
“I remember when Kobe first got into the league. I told [Michael Jordan] during a workout, “This kid plays like you, talks like you, walks like you, he even sticks his tongue out like you. He's going to be special.”
Pippen described Bryant's innate competitive spirit upon entering the league:
“Right away, it was obvious that Kobe was insanely competitive, supremely confident and as driven as anyone I've ever seen,” wrote Pippen. “In his early years, we were still in our prime. But you could see what he was thinking: “Y'all better than me now, but that's not going to last.”
“Kobe wanted to be like Mike, and who didn't? He modeled his game after MJ's and aspired to be the best. But behind the scenes, Kobe was picking everybody's brains. I loved his approach. He had so much respect for the game, his teammates and his competition.”
Kobe Bryant was one of the NBA legends who is now gone entirely too soon, but he is survived by his wife Vanessa and his three other daughters, along with the many former teammates, rivals, and the millions of fans who remember him as one of the greats of the NBA game.
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