Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Gerald McCoy says it was a 'sad day' to hear Kobe Bryant is retiring

Published Dec. 2, 2015 12:29 a.m. ET

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While any and all fans of Kobe Bryant were struck with the news that this would be his final season in the NBA, it seems that other professional athletes were saddened by the news as well.

As Rick Brown of ESPN reports, one of those players is Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy.

"It's a sad day in the sports world hearing that Kobe Bryant will no longer be on the basketball court," McCoy told ESPN Monday. "He's my favorite player of all time. He's incredible to watch. He's a magician with a basketball. He's a monster defender. I love his competitive nature.

"It has been a dream of mine to sit down with him, even if he just gave me five or 10 minutes, just to talk with what his mindset is how he competes and how he prepares," he said. "There's nothing more important to him, other than his family, than his craft and what he does. I don't think I'll ever have a player I like as much as I like Kobe. Ever."

While it's obvious that McCoy is incredibly impressed with Bryant, he wasn't the only player on the Buccaneers who raved about Bryant.

"I'm a Kobe fan because we're both from PA," linebacker Danny Lansanah said.

"He went 20 years on top of the game, playing at the highest level you can play," Lansanah said. "He has five championships and two gold medals. He definitely did PA good."

One thing that's certain is that Bryant will not only go out as one of the greatest ever, but that he has fans all over the world, even on other professional sports teams.