Lakers: Jahlil Okafor on Seeing Kobe ‘Like a God Kind Of’
By Eric Yee
Tuesday night, Lakers star Kobe Bryant returned home to Philadelphia and was treated well by fans and opponents alike
Kobe Bryant has been described as many things throughout his career, but this may be the first public acknowledgement of “godlike” status by another player.
On any other occasion, there is no love lost between Kobe Bryant and the fans of Philadelphia but since Kobe’s retirement announcement, the league has undergone a seismic shift.
Despite being raised in The City of Brotherly Love and leading Lower Merion High School to their first State Championship in over 50 years, Philadelphia fans have never been afraid to show the world how they feel about Kobe.
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The cold receptions are most likely due to the fact that Kobe and the Lakers completely demolished the 76ers in 2001 NBA Finals, as well as the rest of the field, completing the most dominant NBA playoff performance of all time (15-1).
Oh, he also might have said that he wanted to “cut their hearts out.”
Others claim that the Kobe hate stems from the idea that even though his father, Joe Bryant, played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Kobe wasn’t even a Sixers fan.
In his first press conference after announcing his retirement, when asked “How great a life has this been,” Kobe answered,
"I mean, I was a Laker diehard growing up. . . I’ve been extremely fortunate. How many kids can say growing up that, you know, you turn pro, you’re going to play for your favorite team in the world and spend your entire career there? It’s been a dream."
With all of that in mind, Tuesday night was a completely different scene for Kobe: the 76ers honored him with an amazing tribute video, the fans even chanted his name.
Kobe admitted the hometown cheers "got to me"
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) December 2, 2015
But it was the opposing players who seemed to be the most star struck.
Kobe said when he lined up for a jump ball with Jahlil Okafor, Okafor says,"I can't believe I'm going to line up for a jump ball with you!"
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) December 2, 2015
Baxter Holmes quoted Jahlil Okafor as saying,
"It’s just different. I’ve played against LeBron James twice, you see [Kevin Durant], but when you see Kobe it’s just a different feel. I was in the weight room stretching and he walks in. It was like you’re seeing like a God kind of in a sense. For me that was my Michael Jordan. That was somebody that I always watched. You see him score 81 points, you see him win championships and I was always rooting for him to win, so it was surreal to see him."
This won’t be the last time you hear another young player excitedly recount their first Kobe experience as the Farewell Tour has only just begun, but it’s nice to see how much players from every generation truly respect the Black Mamba.
Next: Skip Bayless Chooses LeBron James Over Kobe Bryant
Wednesday night the Lakers take on the Washington Wizards, so be sure to check in to Lake Show Life to see what the rest of the league has to say about Kobe’s recent news.