Their assembly within the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the place they each performed collectively for Crew USA and shared management duties, epitomized their brotherhood in basketball. Regardless of their rivalry within the NBA, notably when Wade’s Miami Warmth bested Kobe’s Lakers within the 2004 Finals, the 2 would go on to type an enduring bond, with Wade typically talking of Bryant as a mentor and an inspiration. Their connection stays one of the enduring friendships in basketball, constructed on a shared love for the sport and a mutual respect for one another’s greatness. Payton performed with each. He noticed what made them tick. The similarities have been clear: the desire, the massive pictures, the killer intuition. However Kobe’s two-way dominance stood out.Nonetheless, Payton has nothing however respect for each. “They each had the canine in ‘em,” stated Payton. “They have been each the identical.” -via ScoopB.com / Might 2, 2025
