CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers power forward Kevin Love shared the court with Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant as opponents throughout their NBA careers, but they also took the floor together as teammates under the banner of Team USA.
Love and Bryant were teammates on Team USA when the Americans brought home the Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Summer Olympics. Following the news of Bryant’s passing, Love took to Instagram to share a personal message in the caption of a photo of the two standing shoulder-to-shoulder on the medal podium.
“Very few words ---” Love wrote. “Can’t explain the heaviness in my heart. Absolutely devastated. Mamba FOREVER.”
Following Love’s words, he posted several snake emojis in reference to Bryant’s nickname, “The Black Mamba,” a venomous snake that could strike from considerable distances when threatened.
Bryant, and one of his four daughters, Gianna, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California Sunday afternoon.
In 20 seasons with the Lakers, Bryant scored 33,643 points, pulled down 7,047 rebounds, handed out 6,306 assists, converted 44.7 percent of his 26,200 shots from the field and knocked down 1,827 three-pointers.
More than the numbers, Bryant’s success can be measured by the five championship teams he was a part of and the tireless work ethic and competitiveness, both on and off the court that led him to leave the game as the No. 3 scorer in league history.
Hours before his passing, Bryant tweeted congratulations to former Cleveland Cavaliers small forward LeBron James for eclipsing him on the NBA’s all-time scoring list when the Lakers faced the Philadelphia 76ers Saturday night.
Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 23, 1978, Bryant became a superstar in the prep ranks at Lower Merion High School and decided to forgo a college career to enter the 1996 NBA Draft, where he was taken with the No. 13 overall pick in the first round by the Charlotte Hornets.
The first guard out of high school ever to be selected in the first round, Bryant was traded to the Lakers later that summer and spent his entire 20-year career in Los Angeles.
Bryant left the game as a two-time NBA Finals MVP, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player, an 18-time NBA All-Star, four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, was selected to the All-NBA First Team 11 times and the NBA All-Defensive First Team on nine occasions.
Bryant was a two-time NBA scoring champion and winner of the NBA Slam Dunk Contest in 1997.
Bryant’s jersey numbers, 8 and 24, have been retired by the Lakers, cementing his place among the greatest basketball players in NBA history.