Kobe all in on LeBron

Kobe Bryant is more than happy to see LeBron James in a spot that was once his: starring with the Lakers, pushing his way into the GOAT conversation.

If you thought Bryant might be a ppre hensive about the move, you thought wrong. The two have known each other for years, Bryant said on Fox Sports radio Monday afternoon. And according to Sports Illustrated, they talked over the phone in the lead-up to James’ signing.

“I love it,” Bryant said on Fox Sports. “Listen, here’s the thing, the NBA does better when the Lakers are at their highest potential, and for the city of L.A., it’s important for us to have that star power. Jerry [West] was here, Elgin Baylor was here, Wilt [Chamberlain] was here, Magic was here, Cap [Kareem AbdulJabbar] was here, Shaq [O’Neal], myself and now let’s carry it forward again. You got LeBron here now, it’s his turn now. Hopefully he can, which he will, take this franchise back to its prominence, so I’m excited.”

The future Hall of Famer’s relationship with James started at the 2008 Olympics, when the two won gold as part of the “Redeem Team.” Now he welcomes James with open arms.

Bryant was clued into the impending announcement before the general public and is still well-connected with the Lakers. Rob Pelinka, L.A.’s GM, was Bryant’s agent. Bryant knows that the expectations are heightened, but sees James being with the Lakers as a chance for younger pl ayers to develop.

“They’ve been growing so much and now, here they are, thrust into the spotlight, and you know how pressure makes diamonds?” Bryant said. “So, in this situation, you’ll see Lonzo [Ball] step up, you’ll see [Kyle] Kuzma step up more, the young guys will really step up and rise to that challenge and hit their potential a lot faster than they ordinarily would.”