After winning the 2016 NBA Championship, Cleveland Cavs guard Kyrie Irving went on Facetime with NBA legend Kobe Bryant.
Cleveland Cavaliers point guard Kyrie Irving talked with Kobe Bryant via Facetime following this year’s NBA Championship win. Reportedly, Irving had been communicating with the Lakers superstar and multi-time champion throughout the season and playoffs, although he and Bryant didn’t converse as much during the Finals. Irving said he wanted to “experience it full on” and Kobe gave him some space during those games.
As Irving told The Post Game in a recent interview, he didn’t wait too long after winning the title to contact the recently-retired Los Angeles Lakers star, as he got in touch with him via Facetime from the locker room following Game 7. He said Bryant congratulated him on the title win, but Irving also realized just how tough it is to capture one.
Congrats @KingJames @KyrieIrving and the rest of the @cavs unbelievable series. Well deserved #champs #enjoy
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) June 20, 2016
The Cavs guard said of winning his first championship compared to how many Kobe has achieved, “my respect for him is already high, but it went to another level knowing that he’s got five of them. I’m trying to get a second one.” The Cavs will easily be among the favorites to win in 2016-17 along with the Golden State Warriors.
Apparently, Bryant had been mentoring some of his competitors during this past season, also called his “farewell tour.” While the Lakers legend may no longer be participating on the court physically, but he is still serving as a strong inspiration to the future superstars of today’s game. It’s rare to not hear of players entering the league today say they weren’t attracted to the game thanks to Bryant’s contributions over the past several decades.
Based on Irving’s clutch shot in the NBA Finals that helped his Cavaliers win the championship, he certainly is looking like he could be amongst the future elite players of the league. With an incredible amount of talent as well as superstar mentors like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant helping him out, it seems Irving has the potential to become one of the game’s greats.
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