Lakers: Kobe Bryant served as a mentor to a Dodgers superstar

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant helped mentor plenty athletes, including those from other sports.

Kobe Bryant will forever be remembered as the most iconic athlete in the history of Los Angeles. Nobody encapsulated Tinseltown quite like Kobe did during his days with the Los Angeles Lakers. It was more than just his success — his work ethic, deemed mamba mentality, made him LA’s beloved superstar.

Kobe stayed in the game past his retirement and became a mentor for young players. He worked out with guys like Jayson Tatum to help them improve their game — he issued Giannis Antetokounmpo a challenge to win MVP, which Giannis completed (twice, now).

Kobe’s impact extended far past the basketball court as well, as his work ethic can be translated to any walk of life. He is part of what could have been one of the most iconic moments in Los Angeles Dodgers history when Yasiel Puig launched a three-run home run in Game 4 of the 2018 World Series while Kobe sat first row, throwing his hands in the air and embracing Puig as he rounded third.

Kobe became a mentor for another Dodgers superstar long before that superstar was even wearing the powder blue.

Mookie Betts explains his relationship with Lakers great, Kobe Bryant

Mookie Betts and Mike Trout appeared on a Q&A for BODYARMOR, titled Mike and Mookie Mic’d up. In the Q&A, Betts explained his relationship with Kobe and how he reached out to the Black Mamba during his stint with the Boston Red Sox.

"“In 2019 I was struggling for a while and I didn’t know who to talk to that had been at the top. So I just shot him [Kobe] a text and asked him how he prepared each and every day mentally and what was his way to steer away from failure.He helped me and said each and every day he wants to be the best person in the gym and put on a show each and every day. When I switched my mindset to that things got a little better.”"

Little did Mookie know at the time that he would be a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers a year later and eventually sign a 12-year contract extension that would keep him in Dodger Blue for the rest of his professional career.

Mike Trout, who is the best player in baseball, also shared his experience with the Black Mamba himself.

"“I got to meet him a couple of times. The way he prepared, there is no one better. I try to do that for my game myself like Mookie said, mentally prepare yourself. There are a lot of ups and downs in sports and in baseball, there is a lot of failure, and just knowing how to put up with it.”"

These are two of the best baseball players on the planet and even they had quite a bit to learn from Kobe Bryant. His impact extends much further than the Los Angeles Lakers, much further than the basketball court, much further than the sports world and much further than the city of Los Angeles.

Kobe Bryant is one of the most influential and important athletes of our lifetimes and we are reminded of it every single day. His legacy will live on forever because of the way he touched not just the fans but world-class athletes as well.