Lakers news: Trae Young posts tribute on what Kobe Bryant meant to him

Honoring Kobe Bryant will never get old for Atlanta Hawks spitfire Trae Young and he once again remembered the Black Mamba with a touching tribute.

Remembering Kobe Bryant will never get old for Trae Young.

In honor of Kobe's first death anniversary, the spitfire guard of the Atlanta Hawks took to Twitter to commemorate his childhood hero prior to their game against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. He posted a photo of him during his rookie year talking with Kobe and his daughter Gigi, adding the caption: Always with us.

It's also worth noting that Young is Gigi's favorite NBA player.

Always with us💜💛 2♾8♾24 pic.twitter.com/o2CbAfZNCF

— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) January 27, 2021

Young has never been shy about professing his admiration for Kobe, who he considers as his mentor. He broke down in tears last year when recalling what Kobe told him in their last conversation before his tragic passing. The five-time NBA champion reminded Young how proud he was of him and wanted him to continue to be an inspiration to aspiring kids.

Well, the 22-year-old Young was definitely inspired by Kobe against the Clippers. He led the Hawks to a 108-99 victory with a game-high 38 points on 12-of-23 shooting from the field, including the gutsy three-pointer near the halfcourt logo with two minutes left in the game to ice the win.

After the game, Young, who also had three rebounds and five assists, told reporters he will always remember Kobe for the big shots he made throughout his career. After sinking the huge bomb from way deep against the Clippers, Young said he immediately thought of the Black Mamba.

Trae said this after the game: "One thing I think about when I think of Kobe is big shots — being able to close out games and hit big shots in big moments. Late in the game, that was a big shot for our team. That was the first thing I thought of." https://t.co/CLdQC8IX8a

— Chris Kirschner (@ChrisKirschner) January 27, 2021

With the win, the Hawks improved to 9-8, which is good for sixth place in the Eastern Conference.

Trae Young will look to continue to sink big shots for the Hawks as they face fellow Kobe Bryant disciple Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday.