LeBron James on Kobe Bryant: I Wanted to be Just Like Him

With Los Angeles Laker Kobe Bryant’s retirement seemingly the talk of the NBA these days, all players seem to be reminiscing and paying their own respects for the Black Mamba.

Bryant announced through the form of a poem at the Player’s Tribune that this will be his last season and fans and players alike have paid their own tributes to one of the future NBA Hall of Famer.

And while the list of players who have voiced out their compliment, LeBron James had his piece too. But of all the memories that he shared with Bryant, it was the fact that both of them never reached the point where they would figure for an NBA title.

The closest that opportunity came was back in 2009. The Lakers made it to the NBA Finals but the Cavaliers fell short when they lost to the Dwight Howard-led Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals, 4-2.

"I didn't hold up my end of the bargain in 2009 for the fans, for us, to meet in the Finals," James said via ESPN.

The Cavs had a league-leading 66-16 record at that time while the Lakers were not too far away with a 65-17 card.

"I know the world wanted to see it. I wanted it, we wanted it. He held up his end and I didn't hold up my end, and I hate that. I hate that that didn't happen."

Aside from that, James also narrates (via the Bleacher Report) a boyhood tale which has seemingly brought out the kid in him. That includes wanting to be like Kobe when he was still in high school. Though he admits that Michael Jordan will always be the one that inspired him, Kobe was someone within reach.

James eventually realized that dream of course, playing in the NBA and being teammates on USA Basketball for the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2012 London Games.

But of the two, James says that it was the 2008 team which he cherished more. He recalls how Kobe bailed them out in a close match against Spain. Bryant hit a three-pointer and got fouled leading to a four-point play that sealed the deal for the team.

“..They went zone on us and we needed to make a big bucket. We swung it around the horn, Kobe caught it on the left wing and shot a 3 with no thought about it. Got fouled, four-point play and we put the game away from that point on. That was pretty cool,” recalls James via ESPN.

James will have the chance to play against Bryant twice in 2016. The first one will be on Feb. 10 where they will host the Lakers and the next on Mar. 10 where they visit Los Angeles.

James believes it will be an emotional meeting with winning or losing likely to take a backseat on those two dates.