Kobe Bryant is one of the most tenacious basketball players who won the respect of his peers with brilliance on and off the court.
The LA Lakers legend won five championships and every other major honor in the NBA.
Kobe Bryant oozed Mamba Mentality and he spread the message of working hard to the younger generation as well.
He was a very helpful mentor to players like Kyrie Irving, who shared the advice Bryant gave him, which helped him win the 2016 NBA championship.
It is well documented how great an influence he has had in the NBA, with a lot of people still using Bryant as the standard of brilliance.
A new player on the Lakers, Luka Doncic, showed his love for the Mamba as he helped restore a Bryant mural recently.
His untimely death affected many in the NBA community, but the impact he has had on the game will always be around.
The 18-time All-Star has had a positive impact on stars even outside the game, and Novak Djokovic is the latest to share his Mamba story.
Djokovic is one of the most successful tennis players in the history of the game, having won 24 Grand Slam titles throughout his glorious career.
However, even he faced a tough time in his career, when he underwent a serious surgery in 2018 and Djokovic revealed that Bryant was someone who helped him massively during that time.
When asked about how Bryant helped him get back to his former self, the tennis maestro said: “When it comes to our relationship, back in 2018 when I had the major surgery of my elbow, and then I was absent from the tour for six months. I dropped the rankings, and I was trying to build rankings back.
“I completely changed the kind of movement for my serve, and I was kind of, I was kind of lost, to be honest, mentally as well.
“And then we had, we had four or five different phone calls, and we saw each other when I was in States, and he was really trying to be there for me and and I relied a lot on his counsel and his advice and and he gave me guidance that I needed.
Djokovic has suffered a few more injuries since, but his pain tolerance has increased and he has gone on to become one of the greatest players ever.
“It was a big shock to to receive the news, but his legacy will live forever. No, no doubt about it. Mamba mentality is still very present with everyone,” Djokovic added.
Bryant grew up idolising Michael Jordan and adapted his killer mentality into the game, which not a lot of players have.
Like his favourite player, Bryant also loved other sports, especially football, as he grew up in Italy where it was played by the majority.
Djokovic shared how he respected the fact that Bryant maintained relationships with personalities from other sports as well.
He said: “What I liked about Kobe is that he always tried to, he always tried to bring this level of energy and friendship to his relationships.
“And it’s not just with me, but you know, obviously observing his relationship with the other peers, whether his peers from his sport or, you know, he was big fan of football, or soccer, as you call it.
“And you know, he grew up in Italy, and just the way he carried that charisma and his character was just very unique, and that’s why people worldwide love him and still love him.”
