LOS ANGELES — due to Kobe Bryant, Anthony Davis will always remember to wear his jersey. due to Kobe Bryant, LeBron James will always strive finding the right balance between maximizing his productivity without sacrificing his family time.
Safe to mention that Davis and James are at different stages of their NBA careers. But that partly explains why Bryant could influence numerous NBA stars. Following his unexpected passing in the week due to a helicopter crash, it appears Bryant could offer a lesson on almost anything.
The most notable one for Davis? It happened within the 2012 Olympics when Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski unexpectedly asked Davis to play in mop-up duty during an eventual blowout win against Nigeria in preliminary play. just one problem: Davis had a white T-shirt on rather than his jersey underneath his warmup.
“Kobe got on me. I can’t say what he said,” Davis said with a chuckle following the Lakers’ 127-119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at Staples Center.
Well, Davis could share a minimum of a number of what Bryant said. Just not the expletives. Bryant asked Davis, “Why are you not getting into the game? this is often your chance!” Davis replied, “I don’t got my jersey on.” That prompted Bryant to seem underneath Davis’ warmup then chastise him for the error .
“So now every game, I check to form sure I even have my jersey on to the present day,” Davis said. “He taught me the way to dress for a game.”
LEBRON ON KOBE: 'We're all hurting, we're all heartbroken'
MORE: 10 ways Lakers honored Kobe Bryant in first game at Staples Center since icon's death
VANESSA BRYANT: 'There is not any #24 without #2'
Anthony Davis and LeBron James wear uniform numbers worn by longtime Lakers player Kobe Bryant during pregame warmups.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James wear uniform numbers worn by longtime Lakers player Kobe Bryant during pregame warmups.
ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY SPORTS
James didn't exactly need those lessons. James entered the NBA in 2003 out of highschool seven years after Bryant did the precise same thing. the 2 were respectful albeit distant until the 2 played together on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. Then, Bryant talked to James about the importance of getting a killer instinct and a disciplined regimen.
Nearly 13 years later, the 35-year-old James is playing his 17th NBA season with an equivalent quite production that helped him win three NBA titles, rank third on the league’s all-time scoring list and land 16 NBA All-Star appearances. It’s an equivalent reason why Bryant won five NBA titles, finished fourth on the all-time scoring list and made 18 NBA All-Star appearances.
“I just watched and saw what he was ready to do and why he was great and why he’s successful int his league,” James said. “The reasons why he was one among the simplest players within the world year after year after year. it might be impossible on behalf of me to mention the one piece of recommendation because there’s numerous directly or indirectly.”
James also learned something from Bryant’s tragic death. He had spent the bulk of his 20-year NBA career with a maniacal approach with both his work habits and personality. During his post-NBA career? James observed to his wife, Savannah, that “these last three years are the happiest I’ve ever seen.” that's because Bryant had become more asleep with both his NBA legacy and his increased free time together with his wife (Vanessa) and 4 daughters (Natalia, Gianna, Bianca, Capri).
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“If you would like to be the simplest at something, you’re so driven that you simply won’t let nothing substitute the way of it, not even your family sometimes,” James said. “When you get compared all the time to greatness, that creates us even more driven and even more sheltered faraway from even our circle of relatives . That’s a difficult part we affect as professional athletes.”
Bryant surely had his personal problems. He was charged with sexual abuse in 2003, though the fees were eventually dropped and therefore the case was settled out of court. Vanessa had filed for divorce in 2011 before the 2 reconciled two years later. Despite Bryant’s workaholic tendencies, though, those on the Lakers marveled on how well he balanced his job and family responsibilities. Bryant achieved that ideal by having only a get group of friends. During his post-NBA career, Bryant coached Gianna’s AAU five and sometimes left his storytelling production studios within the middle of the afternoon to select his daughters up from school.
James also has prioritized his family life together with his two sons (Bronny, Bryce) and daughter (Zhuri). He has frequently attended Bronny’s games at Sierra Canyon highschool . James even watched Bronny’s game in Springfield, Massachusetts, despite wanting to make a two-hour drive to Boston that led to a 32-point loss.
“Make sure you hug your family. If you've got kids, tell them you're keen on them,” James said. “Try to form it the maximum amount as you'll , and don’t feel bad. Don’t feel bad if you happen to travel to at least one of your loved ones and sacrifice your job. I didn’t feel bad in Boston. I visited see my son two hours away and that we had a game that night. We got our ass kicked. I didn’t feel bad in the least . That took a twist. within the name of Kobe, why not?”
Follow USA TODAY NBA writer Mark Medina on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Safe to mention that Davis and James are at different stages of their NBA careers. But that partly explains why Bryant could influence numerous NBA stars. Following his unexpected passing in the week due to a helicopter crash, it appears Bryant could offer a lesson on almost anything.
The most notable one for Davis? It happened within the 2012 Olympics when Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski unexpectedly asked Davis to play in mop-up duty during an eventual blowout win against Nigeria in preliminary play. just one problem: Davis had a white T-shirt on rather than his jersey underneath his warmup.
“Kobe got on me. I can’t say what he said,” Davis said with a chuckle following the Lakers’ 127-119 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday at Staples Center.
Well, Davis could share a minimum of a number of what Bryant said. Just not the expletives. Bryant asked Davis, “Why are you not getting into the game? this is often your chance!” Davis replied, “I don’t got my jersey on.” That prompted Bryant to seem underneath Davis’ warmup then chastise him for the error .
“So now every game, I check to form sure I even have my jersey on to the present day,” Davis said. “He taught me the way to dress for a game.”
LEBRON ON KOBE: 'We're all hurting, we're all heartbroken'
MORE: 10 ways Lakers honored Kobe Bryant in first game at Staples Center since icon's death
VANESSA BRYANT: 'There is not any #24 without #2'
Anthony Davis and LeBron James wear uniform numbers worn by longtime Lakers player Kobe Bryant during pregame warmups.
Anthony Davis and LeBron James wear uniform numbers worn by longtime Lakers player Kobe Bryant during pregame warmups.
ROBERT HANASHIRO, USA TODAY SPORTS
James didn't exactly need those lessons. James entered the NBA in 2003 out of highschool seven years after Bryant did the precise same thing. the 2 were respectful albeit distant until the 2 played together on the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. Then, Bryant talked to James about the importance of getting a killer instinct and a disciplined regimen.
Nearly 13 years later, the 35-year-old James is playing his 17th NBA season with an equivalent quite production that helped him win three NBA titles, rank third on the league’s all-time scoring list and land 16 NBA All-Star appearances. It’s an equivalent reason why Bryant won five NBA titles, finished fourth on the all-time scoring list and made 18 NBA All-Star appearances.
“I just watched and saw what he was ready to do and why he was great and why he’s successful int his league,” James said. “The reasons why he was one among the simplest players within the world year after year after year. it might be impossible on behalf of me to mention the one piece of recommendation because there’s numerous directly or indirectly.”
James also learned something from Bryant’s tragic death. He had spent the bulk of his 20-year NBA career with a maniacal approach with both his work habits and personality. During his post-NBA career? James observed to his wife, Savannah, that “these last three years are the happiest I’ve ever seen.” that's because Bryant had become more asleep with both his NBA legacy and his increased free time together with his wife (Vanessa) and 4 daughters (Natalia, Gianna, Bianca, Capri).
USA TODAY Sports
✔
@usatodaysports
"I didn't feel bad in Boston, once I visited go see my son two hours away in Springfield, and that we had a game that night," says LeBron James.
See USA TODAY Sports's other Tweets
“If you would like to be the simplest at something, you’re so driven that you simply won’t let nothing substitute the way of it, not even your family sometimes,” James said. “When you get compared all the time to greatness, that creates us even more driven and even more sheltered faraway from even our circle of relatives . That’s a difficult part we affect as professional athletes.”
Bryant surely had his personal problems. He was charged with sexual abuse in 2003, though the fees were eventually dropped and therefore the case was settled out of court. Vanessa had filed for divorce in 2011 before the 2 reconciled two years later. Despite Bryant’s workaholic tendencies, though, those on the Lakers marveled on how well he balanced his job and family responsibilities. Bryant achieved that ideal by having only a get group of friends. During his post-NBA career, Bryant coached Gianna’s AAU five and sometimes left his storytelling production studios within the middle of the afternoon to select his daughters up from school.
James also has prioritized his family life together with his two sons (Bronny, Bryce) and daughter (Zhuri). He has frequently attended Bronny’s games at Sierra Canyon highschool . James even watched Bronny’s game in Springfield, Massachusetts, despite wanting to make a two-hour drive to Boston that led to a 32-point loss.
“Make sure you hug your family. If you've got kids, tell them you're keen on them,” James said. “Try to form it the maximum amount as you'll , and don’t feel bad. Don’t feel bad if you happen to travel to at least one of your loved ones and sacrifice your job. I didn’t feel bad in Boston. I visited see my son two hours away and that we had a game that night. We got our ass kicked. I didn’t feel bad in the least . That took a twist. within the name of Kobe, why not?”
Follow USA TODAY NBA writer Mark Medina on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.