He took Anthony Davis under his wing
Bryant didn’t mentor many young players in his career but made an exception.
During his 20-year NBA career, Kobe Bryant didn’t mentor many young players. He made an exception for Anthony Davis.
“Anthony was different just because of his curiosity about the game itself,” Bryant said last fall. “His obvious potential. His ability. But he had a curious nature about him and how he wanted to learn more and more about that game. So I’d gravitate toward that.”
Bryant was one of nine people killed in a helicopter crash Sunday morning. The victims included his 13-yearold daughter, Gianna; Alyssa Altobelli, Gianna’s teammate on the Mamba basketball team, and her parents John and Keri Altobelli; Christina Mauser, who helped coach the Mamba team; Payton Chester, who played on the Mamba team, and her mom, Sarah; and the pilot, Ara Zobayan.
Davis learned the news along with his Lakers teammates Sunday afternoon as they flew back from Philadelphia, where they played Saturday night.
“Man this is a tough one for me!” Davis wrote on Instagram on Monday. “You were the first guy to put me under your wing and show me the ins and outs of the league. Had so many great convos about so many things and I will cherish those moments forever. Love you forever, Bean!”
Their relationship started during the 2012 Olympics when a 19-year-old Davis became Bryant’s shadow. They had meals together, stuck together at practice and when Bryant met with other elite athletes, Davis tagged along.
The Olympics always held a special place for Bryant. He once mentioned to Times columnist Bill Plaschke that winning gold might be his greatest accomplishment, better than an NBA championship, a sentiment he knew might annoy some Lakers fans.
Even after stepping away from the American team — he chose not to try out for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games — Bryant continued his involvement in the Olympic movement, promoting a successful bid to bring the Games back to L.A.
Bryant and Davis developed a relationship because Davis wasn’t afraid to pursue it.
“I think he was there when me and Serena [Williams] had a nice conversation about work ethic and competition and how she processes competitiveness and rivals and all that,” Bryant said. “Sort of comparing notes. He was just sitting there watching.” Davis was eager to learn. “I want to get better,” he said. “You can’t try to become a better player on and off the floor and be nervous to learn from other guys who’ve done it before you. So I’ve never been nervous to ask a question whether in film, on the court; something I don’t know, I’ll ask and hear what people have got to say.”
Bryant respected his courage.
“It was refreshing,” Bryant said. “A lot of guys don’t want to ask questions because they feel like it’s embarrassing or [an] ego thing or blah, blah, blah.”
The two kept in touch over the years and Bryant developed a relationship with Davis’ family. When the Lakers played in New Orleans, Bryant made sure to carve out 30 or 40 minutes to spend with the Davis family. The group usually included Davis’ parents and one or both of his sisters.
One thing Bryant wouldn’t do was recruit Davis to the Lakers — or any player, for that matter.
“If I have to say I don’t do that one more time, I’m going to throw up,” Bryant said last fall.
As Davis waited last year to see if the Pelicans would trade him to the Lakers, his preferred destination, Bryant didn’t get involved.
“I didn’t want no parts of that,” he said.
Then Davis became a Laker and their conversations resumed.