Kobe Bryant not only made a mark in the world of sports, but the Black Mamba also left an indelible impact on several NBA players. Draymond Green revealed Bryant touched his life at the exact moment that he had wanted to leave the league. He stayed and flourished, partly because of the Lakers legend.
Green went on to win honors. He is a core member of the Warriors roster. He owns three NBA rings and is considered one of the best defenders around.
There was a time, however, that Green was at risk of ending his stay in the league abruptly. The Warriors were clashing with Cleveland in the 2016 Finals, and Green fouling LeBron James in one of the games resulted in a suspension.
He never came back to the series. The Cavaliers clinched the title and Green was left devastated, Metro reported.
"I think 2016 was probably the lowest point of my NBA career, where a chain of events just kind of almost took me down," Green was reported as saying.
At that time, Green said he felt everybody was against him, and he had no faintest clue on how to react.
"I don't know what to do. It just felt like my career was caving in on me," the Warriors star recalled.
Then he got a call, and it was Bryant on the other line. Fresh from retirement, the basketball icon offered words of advice, which Green said prompted him to pull things together and move forward.
"Draymond, 99 percent of the world is okay with mediocrity, or worse. But, at best, mediocrity. You're chasing something so much bigger that, how do you ever expect anyone to understand?" Green remembered Bryant as saying.
Green considered that encounter life-changing. The wisdom imparted to him by Bryant was a big deal because it came from a man that was his hero growing up. He was convinced the former Lakers was not an ordinary guy.
"For me, Kobe was a real guy, a special, special person," said Green.
Bryant's untimely passing shocked the world, and it did the same to the NBA community. And more so on Green, who confessed the thought of Bryant forever gone is something that is hard to absorb. It is a reality he is unprepared to discuss.
According to Clutch Points, Green would rather speak to his friend directly than say things about him.
"I don't want to talk about Kobe. I want to talk to Kobe," the Warriors defense specialist stressed.
"I don't really want to talk about it. I'm trying to escape it. I'm not a mental health expert, so I don't know if it's the right thing to do," added Green.
