The ridiculous pomp and mostly contrived drama surrounding Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour is sure to rub some the wrong way. Even his biggest detractors, though, can surely appreciate stuff like this as the Los Angeles Lakers legend embarks on his final season.
After the Oklahoma City Thunder trounced his overmatched team by the score of 120-85 on Wednesday night, Bryant – in a ceremony far more common abroad than domestically – exchanged sneakers with Kevin Durant. But the future Hall of Famer’s gesture extended even further than that, too.
What did Bryant write on the pair of Nikes he gifted to Durant during post-game pleasantries? Check out the video below courtesy of Lakers Nation.
“To KD: Be the greatest.”
With Bryant gone after this season, a void will exist in the NBA sphere. Who will delight even partisan crowds with surreal displays of offensive skill? Who will take Kobe’s place as the game’s most unabashedly fierce competitor? Who will test the limits of hero ball in crunch time?
Durant is perhaps the most likely answer to all three of those questions – a reality that Bryant fully understands, and no doubt serves as justification for his words of inspiration to the Thunder’s 27-year-old superstar.
