No, he went to wait in a cavernous cement lot beneath the building, a place Kobe Bryant would walk past after every one of his games. In Thompson’s first trip to Staples Center as an NBA player to face the Lakers, Bryant scored 39, some coming with Thompson trying to defend his favorite player. “I’ll never forget that stat line: I went 6-for-8, 14 points, with just the hope that he noticed that I was a good player,” Thompson said. …Advertisement“I didn’t get to see Jordan live, but everything Kobe did, on and off the court, he tried to be like Jordan. That’s the biggest thing for me; his legacy will last forever.”Hawks guard Trae Young, trying to score against Clippers center Ivica Zubac, says Kobe Bryant was the major influence for the current generation of NBA stars.

Source: Los Angeles Times May 14, 2021 12:32 UTC