Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Chairman of the board of governors for the Hall of Fame Jerry Colangelo recounted an amazing conversation with Bryant after the guard was asked to be a distributor in the 2008 Olympics, per Duane Rankin of the Arizona Republic.
“I put him on by saying, ‘Look, we may want you to do something else rather than score. We may need you to be the distributor’ and he kind of looked at me funny and we smiled and he said, ‘I’ll do whatever you want. I just want to be part of it,'” Colangelo shared.
Bryant, who tragically passed away in a helicopter accident in January, participated in multiple Olympics over the course of his 20-year NBA career.
While Bryant didn’t star as a distributor during the 2008 Olympics, he absolutely played a huge part in helping the U.S. attain a gold medal.
The 6-foot-6 veteran posted 15.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game during the 2008 Olympic campaign.
In addition, he also won a gold medal during the 2012 Olympics.
However, the gold medals comprise just a small part of Bryant’s illustrious resume.
The superstar won five NBA championships, captured multiple scoring titles, made the All-Star team 18 times and much more.
Beyond the accolades, Bryant had a unparalleled hunger to win, just as he shared he with Colangelo.
