Kevin Durant is following in Kobe Bryant’s footsteps as basketball’s premier scorer. Unfortunately for the Oklahoma City Thunder superstar, his path is similar to the Los Angeles Lakers legend’s in another way, too – by being forced to overcome recent injuries. Luckily for Durant, Bryant offered advice in how to cope with his ongoing recovery from a broken foot.
In an interview on ESPN Radio’s “Mike And Mike” this morning, KD credited Kobe for helping him to understand how he can influence his team from the sideline. Via ESPN’s Royce Young:
“Kobe reached out to me at one point right after I got out of surgery,” Durant told ESPN Radio’s “Mike & Mike” on Tuesday. “We played a preseason game, and I was sitting on the sideline, and I was just wanting to get into the game. I just asked him, how’d he do it? What was his thought process? He just told me, he tried to learn the game as much as he can from the sideline and be the best teammate he can be and support all the guys.
“From a guy like Kobe that stood out to me, just knowing he’s at the top of his game, but always trying to get better in all aspects, I learned a lot just from that conversation. It was big for me.”
Basketball is a brotherhood. That a notorious competitor like Kobe would offer Durant help while the 26 year-old copes with his first major injury is just further confirmation of that heart-warming fact. And considering Bryant’s time away from the game in 2013-2014 and ensuing change in leadership this season, it’s safe to say he learned a few things – even more than opponent and teammate tendencies – while watching from the bench a year ago with a fractured knee.
Durant has already put Bryant’s words to use during games. Nobody was more excited about Russell Westbrook’s opening-night explosion than his superstar running-mate:
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With Westbrook out of the lineup, too, it’s now time for Durant to play injury mentor. If he and Westbrook take the same approach to unfortunate health maladies that Bryant did, maybe Oklahoma City will be able to regain its rightful place as Western Conference power sooner upon their return than present forecasts suggest.
What do you think?
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