In 2012, a very young Kyrie Irving took all the confidence and bravado that he could muster and went up to none else but Kobe Bryant. It happened during one eventful Team USA practice which was marked by Irving, who was then part of the training pool, talking Bryant into a game of one-on-one.
RELATED: VIDEO: Kyrie Irving Channeled A Former NBA Legend For Game 7
Four years later, the Los Angeles Lakers great is already retired and Irving is coming off a very strong performance in the NBA Finals. In this video by Complex News, the freshly minted world champion talked about his exchange with Kobe Bryant.
These two players do share a huge amount of appreciation towards each other. A few months ago, Bryant acknowledged Irving as a key guy who needs to bring that added edge to the Cavaliers if they were to win the championship.
RELATED: VIDEO: Kobe Bryant Shares Moment With Kyrie Irving, Gets Visibly Teary-Eyed On Way To Locker Room
While shortly after winning the title, Irving, who has been very expressive of his high regard towards Bryant’s game, revealed that he embraced a “Mamba Mentality” when he made the dagger three pointer in Game 7 of the finals over Stephen Curry.
