Though Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant tragically passed away prior to the restart of the 2019-20 NBA season inside the Orlando, Fla. bubble, his presence was felt nearly every day.
Players often spoke about Bryant and made it clear that his competitive spirit and commitment to excellence helped them push forward amidst the unique and difficult circumstances within the bubble.
Former Lakers guard Derek Fisher recently sat down with Lakers Daily to talk about numerous topics including how he thinks Bryant would have fared in the bubble atmosphere.
“Some players are not as good when they’re super locked in,” he told Ryan Ward. “They kind of need those outlets and those things that allow them to kind of come out their bunker so to speak like they don’t have to be so locked in every single minute of the day. When you take those things away and you put that player into a situation where they have to be locked in the whole time they’re sometimes not as good.
“Kobe, though, to that part of it, I think he would’ve found a way to be just fine. Similar to guys that operate at that level. LeBron [James]. You saw what Anthony Davis was able to do and some great players in the league they still find a way to be great, and Kobe would’ve been the same.”
One fascinating aspect of the bubble that many players touched on was that there was no way to escape the competitive aspect of the seeding games and subsequent playoffs.
Bryant would have likely flourished in that atmosphere both physically and mentally. He was highly competitive during his playing days and seemed to love to find new ways to get the better of his opponents.
Fans will never know how Bryant would have performed in the bubble.
However, what they can be quite sure of is that he would have been very proud to see this season’s Lakers squad prove victorious and win an NBA title in the Orlando, Fla. bubble.
