Kobe Bryant says he admires LeBron James, talks about his best trait
LeBron James has never been shy about his admiration for Kobe Bryant.
The Cavaliers forward has always credited Bryant for being someone he could look up to -- a great role model and inspiration -- to help shape his illustrious NBA career.
And while it may have taken a long, long time, James has earned Bryant's respect as both a player and friend.
As the 37-year-old Bryant presses on with his retirement tour, he found himself on James' home court in Cleveland on Wednesday night. The five-time NBA champion was asked about LeBron's best qualities.
"I think his greatest strength is his ability to communicate with others and instill confidence in others," Bryant said.
"He has a very big personality and one of the things I noticed about him, playing with him on the Olympic team, is his ability to communicate with others, get the best out of others and challenge them in a very gregarious way. It's one of the things I've always admired about him."
Just like Kobe, LeBron is a great leader. While James is known for being a devoted student of the game, it was Bryant who said their relationship taught him a valuable virtue.
"He has a very, very big voice," Bryant said. "He's able to direct guys and I think that's one of the things I appreciate the most about him and one of the things I've learned from him."
James echoed Bryant's sentiments.
"(There's) just a lot of mutual respect and friendship that we've built over the years," James said. "That's it. Sometimes what's known doesn't need to be said. It's just words can't even describe sometimes us coming together, and for this to be one out of the two -- we got another one out in L.A. -- but for it to be here in our back yard, it meant a lot."
The Cavaliers and Lakers meet again March 10, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
