Kobe Bryant greets Laker Luka Doncic in new L.A. mural based off 2019 meeting at game

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Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic, left, high-fives Lakers legend Kobe Bryant after a Dec. 29, 2019, game at Staples Center. Six years later, a new mural capturing this moment, with Doncic in a Lakers uniform, is up in Los Angeles. (Andrew D. Bernstein / NBAE via Getty Images)

Casual fans might assume Kobe Bryant never crossed paths with Luka Doncic. After all, Bryant retired three years before Doncic debuted at age 19 in 2018.

But when the Dallas Mavericks visited the Lakers on Dec. 29, 2019, early in Doncic’s second season, Bryant — wearing a dark blue beanie and orange jacket — was seated courtside with his daughter, Gianna.

At one point, Doncic seemed oblivious to the fact that he was standing directly in front of Bryant while attempting to throw an inbound pass. He heard someone trash talking in Slovenian, turned around and there was Bryant, smiling. Doncic quickly shook his hand before turning to the court and inbounding the ball.

“I like that he showed love,” Doncic said after the game. “He was talking my language. I saw Kobe talking Slovenian and I was really surprised.”

Read more: A Nuggets fan was hired by Nike to paint a Kobe Bryant mural in Venice Beach. ‘It was an honor’

Following the Lakers’ 108-95 victory in which Doncic had a subpar performance, missing all six of his three-point shots while scoring 19 points, Bryant greeted the budding superstar by saying, “My Man! What’s up brother?”

Doncic replied, “I was like, ‘Who is talking Slovenian?’” They shared a laugh, another handshake and a hug. Doncic posed for a photo with Gianna, then for another with Bryant. A month later, Bryant and Gianna were among the nine people who died in a helicopter crash in the hills above Calabasas on Jan. 26, 2020.

Doncic now is a member of the Lakers after a trade that redefined the meaning of surprising. And to no one’s surprise, a mural that captures that 2019 meeting of Bryant and Doncic already is complete.

Read more: Want to visit Kobe Bryant murals? Here are 24 in Los Angeles and 8 in Orange County

In front of Carrera Cafe on Melrose Avenue between Harper Avenue and North Sweetzer Avenue in Beverly…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kobe-bryant-greets-laker-luka-183836443.html

Author : LA Times

Publish date : 2025-02-18 18:38:00

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