Caitlin Clark has made no secret of fangirling over Kobe Bryant since she catapulted into the spotlight. The WNBA great in the making has worn the NBA great’s shoes on the floor since her NCAA days and continues the trend in the W. But even if/when Nike gives her her own signature line, CC will likely find some other way to honor him. Like visiting his old haunting grounds perhaps.

When asked in her exit interview, “What’s your favorite road arena?” the Indiana Fever rookie couldn’t pick one. But then one name came to mind, as she said, “Obviously, LA was special, especially the crowd we had there. And I know it’s Crypto now but Staples Center and the Lakers and the history that that building has. That was my first time in that building and the way we came back and got our first win.”

It was also a special night because it was Indiana’s first win of the season, even though Clark shooting just 4-of-14 from the field didn’t help a lot against the Los Angeles Sparks. “I wasn’t able to bag a basket all night but then I could make two at the end. And the locker room was fun after that, it was our first win and it was still special,” she remembered in the interview. But Kobe Bryant’s presence was felt at Staples Center that night.

“I guess that’s just the mentality you have to have as a competitor,” Clark said after that game on May 25. “It’s just, you want those moments, you embrace those moments when your team needs a big shot. I was able to create a little separation and get the shot off. Would have been nice to hit a few more of those tonight, but we got the job done when we needed to.”

Despite her shooting misses, it was a good night for her team overall, as the Fever rookie also said. And what a fitting tribute from Clark to her late idol, who still influences her play today. In addition to the Mamba Mentality that CC has imbued, she also recreated Kobe Bryant’s iconic bathroom picture with the Larry O’Brien trophy from 2001 when she was in Iowa.

Interestingly, there is another quality that she shares with Kobe Bryant as a basketball player!

How Caitlin Clark preps for games the Kobe Bryant way

Before Caitlin Clark blew up the WNBA to what it has been this year, Kobe Bryant was a huge proponent of women’s basketball. Maybe that’s one of the reasons why CC started following his play, which included watching recorded versions of opponent’s games.

The Lakers star had always “devoured film” and turned that passion to studying games on the court, both his teams as well as his competitors. “Film Study is all about detail… I went from watching what happened to what could have and should have happened,” Bryant had once said.

And Caitlin Clark is much the same! As 2008 NBA champion Kendrick Perkins told ESPN, “Kudos to her because that means not only has she been putting in the work behind the scenes but that means she’s been a student of the game and in the film room.”

With her shoes, Clark takes a piece of Bryant and his game with her on the court every single day. Kobe Bryant will not get to see this W phenom in a sport he loved, nor will Caitlin Clark ever get to meet one of her NBA favorites. But the Mamba Mentality lives on and the LA Lakers superstar’s legacy also lives on in CC!