Ever since the tragic death of the late great Kobe Bryant in early 2020, players have delivered endless tributes to the Laker Legend. The most recent of them came from none other than Brooklyn Nets superstar forward Kevin Durant.
In an Instagram story, Durant shared a photo of Bryant guarding him back when Durant played for the Seattle SuperSonics (now known as the Oklahoma City Thunder). On the photo, Durant wrote the caption, “Bean always hackin’ man”.
There’s no secret that Kobe was a relentless defender. In addition to his incredible ability to score, the Black Mamba made the NBA All-Defensive First Team nine times, and the All-Defensive Second Team three times throughout his career.
So why did Durant share this story? Some might say that Durant was just trolling. Some might say that Durant was trying to make excuses for how he might’ve performed against the Mamba.
But those who know how much Durant looked up to the five-time NBA Champion know very well that his Instagram post was clearly done out of love. When the world lost Kobe, it was devastating for his family, friends, and fans—but also for his fellow NBA players.
We all have different ways of coping with loss, and this seems to be KD’s way of doing it.
