How are LeBron James and Kobe Bryant similar and different from your experiences with both? D’Angelo Russell: I played with Kobe on his way out, and I’m playing with LeBron, who I still think is at the tip of his prime. Not his prime, but you get better the older you get in some cases. I feel like he’s still getting better in the sense of having to do more with less athleticism, obviously. It shows every aspect of his game, his shooting and post game. I got Kobe on the way out. The language he spoke was foreign to me at that time. I couldn’t relate to a lot of stuff that he was saying, but he would always talk to me about it as if I knew. The older I got, the stuff would click, and I’d say, “Dang, I remember him saying that.” Growing up a fan of LeBron, I was always searching for wisdom from him, asking him questions and trying to pick his brain on how I could be better. That’s how I was with Kobe. I wasn’t shy to ask questions ever. I always gravitated towards the ones people were scared to ask those questions. They both gave me very detailed orientated answers that allowed me to get better. When I was here earlier, we weren’t winning games. Now I’m here playing with LeBron, and we’re trying to win games. That’s a completely different thing on its own. -via HoopsHype / March 28, 2024
