Most of Mark Jackson’s memories with Kobe Bryant are on the court. Particularly contending with him for the 2000 NBA championship. Immense respect came out of that rivalry. The former NBA coach relived that admiration when he visited Kobe Bryant’s statue recently. He wasn’t present when the first statue was unveiled outside Crypto.com Arena on February 8. He, however, had a quiet moment with the late Bryant.

On The Mark Jackson Show, he revealed the photograph of his visit to the statue. He told his son Bluu about how he was feeling when he took it. “It was great because it gave me an opportunity to show love and just go down there and just spend a moment with a guy that I had tremendous tremendous respect for, appreciation for.”

Jackson has always been vocal about holding the Black Mamba in high regard. He displayed it once more before his son and co-host that he had “as much respect for him as any athlete I ever competed against.”

He competed against the Lakers legend during his time with the Indiana Pacers. Not only as an athlete, Bryant off the court earned his admiration. “I know what it took for him to get to where he got to respect him as a basketball player, then got to respect him as a husband, a father, and a man.”

Bryant is the sixth Lakers player to be memorialized outside the arena. The 19-foot statue by Julie Rotblatt Amrany won’t be the only one and Jackson seems to agree with it.

Kobe Bryant remains unforgettable to Mark Jackson

Vanessa Bryant confirmed at the statue unveiling that Bryant will have three memorials dedicated to him. To Jackson, no one deserved it more than Bryant. “Just going down there, a guy who tragically obviously lost his life, but just acknowledging greatness and spending a moment with him and appreciating the beautiful statue and to know he’s going to get three of them, well-deserved.”

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Like many others, Jackson was inconsolable in 2020 after Bryant’s demise. Jackson, who was still in his broadcasting booth gig at that time, got emotional recalling his first meeting with Bryant when they were teens and training at Temple University. “It’s a bad day. It’s a very horrible, not just in sports but in life,” he said back then.

Jackson has competed against Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant and those remain his GOATs. His sentiment is undoubtedly echoed by many.

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