Paris Saint-Germain superstar Neymar looked back on the tragic death of Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant. For the soccer star who had a personal relationship with the Black Mamba, the basketball icon's death deeply affected him.
Speaking with Vogue Men Arabia, Neymar shared that he and Kobe had a special bond. Neymar is pretty much aware of how big of a figure Bryant was, but when they finally met, the PSG striker saw a different side of the Lakers great.
“His death affected me a lot because our lives had much in common,” Neymar said, via Goal.com:
“I met Kobe personally and the times he came to Paris. When you meet the person behind the athlete, it creates a different relationship and with Kobe, it was very special. Sports and society lost a great guy.”
To recall, Neymar was one of the first athletes outside of basketball to pay tribute to Bryant. After scoring his second goal of the night for PSG in a Ligue 1 game in January, the Brazilian sensation held up his fingers to form the no. 24 — Bryant's jersey number during the second part of his career with the Lakers.
This was just hours after news broke that Bryant, his daughter GiGi, and seven others perished in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California.
The moment Neymar dedicated his goal to Kobe Bryant 🙏 pic.twitter.com/Yrh53g2vYV
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) January 27, 2020
But it didn't stop there. Early in February, Neymar came out donning a custom PSG warm-up kit honoring the Hall of Famer.
Neymar came out repping Kobe 🙌 pic.twitter.com/ZwDF7TQDpR
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) February 1, 2020
Neymar's little story goes to show that Kobe Bryant really did affect every single one of us. His influence went over and beyond basketball, and Neymar is bent on keeping his legacy alive.
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