NBA legend Kobe Bryant was someone who served as an inspiration for many aspiring players and young athletes. He spent 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers, leading them to five NBA championships and earning numerous individual accolades along the way. This experience helped him to learn some valuable lessons, which he then passed on to the youngsters who looked up to the Black Mamba.

Two years before a 2x All-Star reflected on the most important lesson he learned from Kobe, he talked about his first encounter with the man he admired the most.

Mighty IT recalls his first game against Kobe Bryant

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard Isaiah Thomas joined Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on their ?All the Smoke? podcast a couple of years ago. During the interview, the 34-year-old highlighted his ?Welcome to the NBA??moment.

Thomas took the viewers back to 2011. The then-rookie had been recently drafted by the Sacramento Kings. He would face the Lakers in his first game of the season. The rookie was excited to be in the same arena as Kobe Bryant, which he had dreamt about for a long time.

The 2x NBA All-Star recalled that he asked his coach?about the opposing player whom he would be responsible for handling. Believe it or not, that player was the Black Mamba himself. Despite the coach being confident that no one could back down Thomas, the player wasn’t so sure. ?I appreciate you putting me in but bro, Kobe is backing everybody down,? Thomas said.

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While concentrating on the game, the young player couldn?t help but smile and have a fan-like moment since he was in the presence of a man he admired. ?That was my favorite player. So it was like, even touching his Jersey I was like ?Damn, I made it?? Thomas added during the conversation. ?That was my ?Welcome to the NBA? moment.?

Kobe went on to hit 2 out of 3 shots, which only made Thomas more excited. Mighty IT?would bring up his idol again in a separate interview two years later.

Isaiah Thomas learned the art of instilling confidence in others from the Black Mamba

Back in August of this year, Isaiah Thomas made an appearance during an episode of Gil?s Arena?where he was asked about the one learning from Kobe that he still carried with him.

Thomas went on to state that he learned how to ?get the guys that aren?t as good as you to follow you? from the Black Mamba. It took some time for Thomas to fully understand the meaning of what Kobe taught him. Eventually, though, he got there.

Thomas learned the usual ?being killer? and ?being great? lessons from his Lakers mentor as well. However, there was one teaching that resonated the most with him. It was when Kobe told him how to get his teammates to understand their mental state by themselves.

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What are your thoughts on the lesson that Isaiah Thomas learned from the Lakers legend? Let us know in the comments below.