ESPN
Tracy McGrady joined Rachel Nichols on ESPN's "The Jump" to share some of his memories of Kobe Bryant.
- Former NBA star Tracy McGrady joined ESPN's Rachel Nichols on "The Jump" to share memories of his friend, Kobe Bryant.
- McGrady told Nichols that when Bryant was younger, he used to say he wanted to 'die young' and be 'immortalized,' but that that desire changed once he had children.
- McGrady also shared memories of Bryant's daughter Gianna, saying that she looked just as dominant as her father on the court.
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The NBA world was shocked on Sunday with the sudden death of Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, who passed away in a helicopter crash along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others on board.
Tracy McGrady joined ESPN's Rachel Nichols on the "The Jump" to share some of his memories of his close friend and NBA contemporary Kobe Bryant.
McGrady entered the NBA one year after Bryant was drafted, joining Kobe as one of the few players to make the jump to the league immediately out of high school.
In his conversation with Nichols, McGrady said that in their early days in the league, Bryant had said he wanted to die young.
"It's crazy, but Kobe spoke this," McGrady said. "He used to say all the time, 'I wanna die young.'"
"He used to say, 'I wanna die young. I wanna be immortalized. I want to have my career be better than Michael Jordan and I wanna die young.' And I just thought he was so crazy for saying that."
"Hearing you say, 'Oh I wanna die young, I wanna be a legend.' That's totally in line with young Kobe," Nichols said. "But older Kobe, the Kobe that you and I spent the last year watching, the 40, 41-year-old Kobe, he wanted to be around for his family."
McGrady agreed. "Clearly that statement was way before kids. Once he had kids, he didn't have that mindset."
McGrady also discussed some of his memories of Bryant's 13-year-old daughter Gianna, who also died in the crash.
"She was special. She was built like Kobe, her mannerisms, everything. To watch her play was like watching a young Kobe. She had the moves. She had a fadeaway at 13 years old. I'm watching this girl, and she just looks like her dad out there, and just, 'Man she's gonna be special.'"
"And she's not going to get that opportunity."
You can watch McGrady's entire conversation with Nichols below.
Tributes and remembrances of Bryant poured in from former teammates, his NBA peers, and fans around the world as news of his death spread on Sunday. On the court, teams across the league took intentional 24-second shot clock violations to start their games, as a tribute to the no. 24 that Bryant wore through the latter half of his career.
On Monday, the league announced that the game between the Lakers and Clippers scheduled for Tuesday night would be postponed out of respect to the Lakers organization as they take time to grieve.
- Read more:
Lakers legends and former teammates pay tribute to Kobe Bryant
Tracy McGrady was in tears recalling young Kobe's words:
"I thought he was crazy. He used to say, 'I wanna die young. I wanna be immortalized.'" (via @Rachel__Nichols) pic.twitter.com/7XrVnde9TV
- SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) January 27, 2020