After the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals, Cavs point guard Kyrie Irving facetimed Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant from the locker room.
Bryant is one of Irving’s mentors.
Kobe Bryant says Kyrie Irving called him to say thanks for the advice and that what he told him worked.
“After Cleveland came back from that 3-1 deficit and beat Golden State, my phone rings and it’s a facetime call. It’s Kyrie. Kyrie’s in the locker room and celebrating and on facetime he says, ‘Dude! It worked. Your advice worked.’ “
Kyrie Irving and the Cavs made history in the 2016 Finals versus Golden State. Cleveland became the first team in NBA history to erase a 3-1 series deficit in the Finals.
Irving put on a show for the Cavs, averaging 27.1 points and 3.9 assists in the seven-game series while shooting 46.8 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc.
Kyrie also hit the game-winning 3-pointer over Warriors guard Stephen Curry in Game 7.
Irving, of course, requested a trade from the Wine and Gold in the summer of 2017. However, fans will always remember and be thankful for his performance in the 2016 Finals. It looks like those fans also have to thank Kobe Bryan for the advice he gave Kyrie.