CLEVELAND — Cleveland Cavaliers forwards Larry Nance Jr. and Kevin Love had the unique opportunity to call themselves teammates of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, either in the NBA or on the US Olympic Team.
Prior to Monday’s game against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesar’s Arena in Detroit, Nance Jr. and Love spoke with the media about their memories of playing alongside Bryant, who was one of nine people, including his daughter, Gianna, that perished in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California Sunday.
“You just keep hoping to scroll on Twitter and see that it was a false report, misidentification or something else, but it just doesn’t seem real,” Nance Jr. said. “He was just a huge part of my story as a basketball player, as a person. Just coming into this league and having him as a veteran and as a role model and influence, I can’t begin to do it justice.”
Love added, “I grew up with Kobe being one of if not my favorite player, so you automatically assume it can’t happen to somebody like that. You believe that Kobe is invincible, so you hear it and it’s confusing. It’s disbelief, it’s frustration, and then, that turns to tears and today, it’s just numbness.”
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.
“He just so much more than a basketball player to so many,” Love said. “He transcended the sport, transcended the game and he’s an icon. He brought the game to where it is today and for people who grew up with (Michael) Jordan, he was the next phase. He was 2.0.
“It breaks all of our hearts, whether it’s myself who got to know him firsthand, become a friend of his, share the court with him in All-Star games and the 2012 Olympics, not only seeing him as a basketball player but as a father as well. It’s a guy that was likely going to do more, and that’s saying a lot in his second act.”
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, only to be surpassed by former Cavaliers great LeBron James just hours before his passing.
Although there were many memorable moments, Nance Jr. will always remember sharing the court for Bryant’s final NBA game. Much to the delight of the home fans, Bryant dropped 60 points on the Utah Jazz at Staples Center on April 13, 2016.
“Being on the court for that and being able to share moments with him before and after that game, even during, those are just things I’ll never forget,” Nance Jr. said. “The pictures and the videos that we have, even got a signed jersey that’s framed and is in the dead center of my basement.”