In a recent interview with Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker talked about Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant.
Parker was among the bevy of past and current NBA stars to attend Kobe and Gigi's public memorial at Staples Center. The legendary Spurs point guard discussed with Spears why he decided to attend the memorial:
“It was important to be there because he always had an impact on my career,” Parker said. “He was always there for me, giving me advice and text messages. He was just an unbelievable player. Maybe the closest to Michael Jordan, who I think is the best ever. I played against Kobe in his prime. I will always have fond memories of Spurs-Lakers, which was a classic with all of us in our primes. We will definitely all miss him.
“The last time I saw Kobe was in China last year when he was an ambassador for the World Cup. We were sitting together having conversations about women’s basketball and how we can grow it,” the former Spurs guard continued.
“He knew that I owned a women’s team and was investing a lot in women’s basketball. It’s just sad that I can’t see him anymore. I wish we could have done all that stuff together, because we would have done great stuff together in women’s basketball.”
Parker, Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili, and Gregg Popovich attended the memorial, as did current Spurs shooting guard DeMar DeRozan.
Kobe and the Lakers had a lot of battles with the Spurs back in the day. In fact, they faced off in five out of six postseasons from 1999-2004. Basketball fans will always remember and cherish those precious matchups.
Parker won four titles with the Spurs, while Bryant won five with the Lakers and established himself as the greatest player in Purple and Gold history.
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