Kobe Bryant praises Allen Iverson after retirement ceremony
By Bryan Rose
It seems like quite a while ago that Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant was battling Philadelphia 76ers legend Allen Iverson.
The two didn’t match up often given Bryant was a shooting guard and Iverson guarded opposing points (at least generally), but every so often the two would find themselves in a mismatch and it was nothing short of must-see-television.
The 76ers retired Iverson’s famed #3 on Saturday night and Bryant decided to pay his respects on social media, posting a picture of he and Iverson along with the following caption:
"“Time has wings my brotha. Your game pushed my then 21 year old self to play beyond my years. Your impact on the game will be felt for generations. #salute #respect #96 #AI”"
Bryant and Iverson only battled twice a year (outside of the 2000-2001 NBA Finals) until A.I. made his way to the Denver Nuggets, but by then Iverson was a shell of his former self.
While there will always be new prime time matchups, Bryant and Iverson was always one to look forward to and it’s a shame we’ll never see it again.
It may not be as good as Kobe posting a picture of his wife, Vanessa, dressed in lingerie on his Instagram – but very cool from the Black Mamba regardless.