It’s hard to believe how fast time flies, as it has already been nearly six and a half years since the sports world tragically lost the man many consider the greatest Los Angeles Laker of all time. Kobe Bryant‘s untimely passing in 2020 left a massive void in the basketball community.
Yet, as the years roll on, his towering legacy only continues to grow. His now-mythical Mamba Mentality serves as a guiding light not just for athletes, but for people across all walks of life who find daily motivation in the five-time NBA champion.
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While we may never see another player quite as single-mindedly obsessed with winning as him, the Black Mamba opened up a year into his retirement, specifically in 2017, about the select modern players who mirror his approach and the way he used to dissect defenses on the hardwood.
“There’s three that I really enjoy watching: Russell (Westbrook), James (Harden), Kawhi (Leonard) – I love watching that generation, Kyrie (Irving). I love watching them play, I just love watching them play,” Kobe said.
“Kawhi has been able to do with the spots that he operates from is the exact same spots I like to operate from. The elbow, the mid-post, the one-two bump, turn left shoulder, fade, turn right shoulder, fade – I love watching those guys play,” he added.
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Each of them possesses a distinct piece of the Kobe DNA
At first glance, these superstars, who are still competing at a remarkably high level even as their 40th birthdays hover on the horizon, don’t necessarily share an identical look at first. But if you look beneath the surface, each of them possesses a distinct piece of the Black Mamba DNA, which was Kobe’s biggest quality as a player.
Stylistically, Kyrie Irving is a pure offensive wizard, an unstoppable force whose elite footwork resembles poetry in motion. James Harden, on the other hand, brought a relentless, cold-blooded scoring volume that refused to back down from anyone.
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While Russell Westbrook represents a stark stylistic contrast to Kobe’s technical mastery, his competitive fire, absolute refusal to concede and relentless attack mode every single night heavily resonated with how Kobe approached the game.
Then there is Kawhi Leonard, the quiet assassin. He began his career as a defensive stopper before systematically engineering his mid-range game into an absolute work of art. Today, Kawhi’s mid-range pull-up operates with a clinical, almost robotic precision.
As Bryant noted back then, when he was finally able to sit back with a glass of wine and just digest the game as a spectator, he noticed how each of these players tended to operate from his signature real estate on the floor, a realization that gave the 2008 MVP genuine goosebumps.
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Love him or hate him, respect was non-negotiable
Unsurprisingly, Irving, one of Kobe’s closest disciples, later shared his favorite story about how the Lakers legend completely transformed his approach as both a player and a person.
“In 2016, he told me to really start isolating myself a little bit more to give a greater sense of who I am and how you have to approach every day,” Irving said of Bryant. “That’s the best Kobe story I can give; his approach to life, his approach to the game of basketball, was something that was transformative. It gave us a hero to look up to, but also, he didn’t want to be looked up to as a hero; he always wanted to let you know you want to be better than me; don’t try to strive where I am at; strive to go past, and if you can’t go past, keep striving for your own goals.”
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Bryant’s legacy remains permanently woven into the fabric of anyone who loves the game of basketball. Whether you rooted for him or against him, respect was non-negotiable.
His work ethic, his reverence for the game and his blueprint for the next generation are the kind of unquantifiable accolades that carry the heaviest weight — serving as a powerful reminder of how to approach life both on and off the court.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Jun 7, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.