Passing through Kai Cenat's stream, Kyrie Irving spoke about his relationship with the late Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba played a real role as a big brother for the current leader of the Mavs, giving him advice that still serves him today.
Kobe Bryant is one of those who have most inspired today's players and Kyrie Irving is no exception.
For Thanksgiving, Uncle Drew was invited to Kai Cenat's stream where he was able to talk about his relationship with the Black Mamba.
In 2016, Kai (the player, not the streamer, let's be honest) was able to talk with Kobe about how to manage the image that fans might have of him. During his lifetime, the Lakers legend was a divisive personality to say the least for the reasons we know, namely the rape affair in 2003 or the rather solitary behavior that number 24 could have in public or with his teammates . Being a Kobe fan during the 2000s was not easy, as Kyrie recalls.
“The media turned their backs on him, fans turned their backs on him. Being a Kobe fan when you were young at that time, it wasn't easy and you had to have these complicated conversations. I asked him how he dealt with it both mentally, spiritually and emotionally.”
Advice that must certainly have been useful to the Dallas leader, himself put in the spotlight a few years ago. Between declarations that are, to say the least, particular (see “the Earth is flat”), visits to Boston then Brooklyn which ended in blood sausage, an “anti-vax” image during COVID or even the promotion of a film of an anti-Semitic nature, KY has experienced controversy. Like Kobe, some spectators turned their backs on him while Kyrie was a role model for many fans and young players around the world.
Since then, Irving has come back on track and seems to have regained the place he once held in the hearts of fans. And Kobe's message may well have had an impact in this story.
“Kobe is one of those people who teaches us to be better and to have a positive impact on the world. I used basketball to get into certain spheres, but it doesn't define who I am at all. And that’s what Kobe taught me: ‘don’t let this sport define who you are’.”
Kyrie Irving shares a heartfelt story about Kobe Bryant, talking about how the media and fans hated him back then and how Kobe motivated him to be great ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jbZQUjqNGu
— FearBuck (@FearedBuck) https://twitter.com/FearedBuck/status/1862368684091519200?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A message full of maturity that Kyrie Irving seems to have fully understood in 2024. Aged 32 today, Kai (we are still talking about the player) seeks to transmit this mentality to the new generation, as he has already been able to share in the past.
“What you see now is a version of me that I'm proud of. Now is not the time to blame anyone or hold grudges. I just see it as an opportunity to help the next generation see that it is possible to overcome hardship and be reborn like a phoenix.” – Kyrie, during the last Playoffs
Text source: FearBuck
