Dallas Mavericks stud Luka Doncic is one of the biggest stars in the NBA, but as it turns out, even he gets starstruck from time to time. This was especially true when he came face-to-face with the likes of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant.
Doncic opened up about that time Kobe caught him by surprise by talking smack to Doncic in his native tongue. According to the young Slovenian, this was a moment he will forever cherish:
“He was one of the guys that I looked up to.” @luka7doncic shares the story of seeing Kobe and Gianna at the Mavs/Lakers game in 2019. pic.twitter.com/dgV2pO2i5i
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) August 25, 2020
The video above captures an amazing moment between Doncic and Kobe, during which the young Mavs star was clearly taken aback while trying to inbound the ball. To his surprise, it was actually the great Kobe Bryant who was talking to him in Slovenian, and Doncic could not help but smile and shake the Lakers legend's hand. Clearly, this moment left its mark on Doncic.
This meeting went down in December, which was just weeks away from Kobe's untimely death in January. This was one of the last public appearances by Bryant, and Doncic is just happy to have been part of it. The fact that he was also able to meet Kobe's daughter, Gigi, who herself also passed away in that tragic helicopter crash, was the cherry on top of the cake.
Bryant would have turned 42 years old this past Sunday. On Monday, the Lakers paid homage to their fallen legend on “Mamba Day.” They honored Kobe by destroying the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 4 of their first-round matchup, 135-115.
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