NBA Throwback: The Special Gift LeBron James Received from Kobe Bryant

Five years ago, late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant played his final season in NBA. Although at the time, Lakers were not a playoff team, it was special to see the Black Mamba embrace the court for one last time.

On 11th February 2016, Kobe and the Lakers played against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Although the game did not pan out well for Kobe, it was his post-game gesture which stole people’s hearts.

After the game was over, Kobe signed the sneakers he was wearing and gifted it to LeBron. It was a special moment to see both the players sharing such a strong connection. It was special for a player like LeBron who had grown up seeing Bryant dominate opponents day in day out.

LeBron built a great relationship with the ‘Black Mamba‘ after his retirement. Especially when ‘the King’ joined the Lakers organization in 2018, the connection really blossomed. It was evident, when Bryant used to come to watch Lakers’ game.

Can LeBron James channel his Mamba Mentality for a Repeat

While last season might have been challenging for James and Co. especially in the bubble, this season they face multiple hurdles if they want to repeat.

They have had the smallest off-season in NBA history, the Western Conference has become fully loaded with teams like the Warriors making a comeback and a very tight schedule to complete their games.

With all of this is mind, it was expected that LeBron would be absent for the initial part of the season, but to everyone’s surprise, the 36-year-old star hasn’t taken a single day off and has played the most minutes in the Lakers.

This has been pivotal due to the lackluster start to Anthony Davis‘ campaign. With Davis taking a step back, LeBron has controlled the offense and been the biggest threat for other teams.

He is already been great this season. If he channels his mamba mentality, we might be seeing an unstoppable LeBron James primned for the MVP trophy and well as the championship.