Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan are all going into the Hall of Fame this weekend.
They spent years and years competing in the game of basketball at a level higher than the highest level. That’s exactly why their names will be forever etched in the Hoop Hall of Fame.
The kicker is that they competed against each other at that hall of fame level. A lot. All three of them were in a grueling Western Conference in the prime of their careers. Some of their playoff battles against one another are absolute classics.
Because we saw that competitive side between them all so much, we never really got to see the other side of things. The cordial side. The friendly side. What they were like with one another outside of the lines.
Kevin Garnett was asked about that that off the court relationship between him and Kobe Bryant, specifically, during his Hall of Fame press conference. They’d competed against each other for years with the pinnacle of that competition coming in the NBA Finals — twice.
Still, Garnett said he looked at Kobe like a “little brother.”
“Kobe Bryant was like a little brother to me.”
Kevin Garnett discusses his relationship with Kobe. @Hoophall pic.twitter.com/SL3RAMLlvM
— NBA TV (@NBATV) May 14, 2021
“Kobe Bryant was like a little brother to me, man. I got to see Kob when he was very young and not as polished as everybody got to see him. He was very vulnerable, we were both vulnerable and very young. And we used to always interact with each other with that youthfulness, with that kid persona. We’d always talk the game.”
They also had jokes for each other.
“We’d crack a lot of jokes with each other, but at the end we was two very fierce competitors. As much as he wanted to win, I wanted to win. As much as he thought he was the best, I thought I was the best. I’d always crack on him and tell him he was too small to play. He’d always crack on me and tell me I was too small to guard. It was great conversation, great back and forth and great competition. I don’t think I’m the only one in here that thinks Kobe Bryant is fairly missed. I miss him every day. Not only what he brought to the game of basketball, but to sports period.”
Well said, KG. Well said.
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