When Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant tragically died in a helicopter accident in January, Dwyane Wade, like many, was left in tears.
In a recent Bleacher Report AMA, the Miami Heat great talked about what his relationship was like with the “Black Mamba.”
“I built one,” said Wade. “Early on Kobe didn’t have a lot of relationships. I got a chance to build one with the respect of Kobe. I can call him anytime and vice versa. That’s one of the relationships that I’m proud of. To be able to have one with one of my fave players of all time was special.”
During the early phase of Bryant’s career, he mostly kept to himself, mostly in order to keep his laser-like focus on maximizing every drop of his potential.
But in the middle of his career he started opening up to fellow players in a big way.
It’s been documented that the 2008 Olympic team was a huge factor in Bryant coming out of his cocoon.
During the preparations leading up to Team USA regaining the gold medal, Olympic teammates such as Wade were able to not only bond with Bryant, but were able to get a close-up look at his legendary dedication to his craft.
Others, such as LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, also became tight with Bryant starting around that time and gained an ironclad respect for the five-time NBA champ.
