Lots of players looked up to Kobe Bryant, but Kyrie Irving idolized him and developed a close relationship with the late NBA legend. With the Dallas Mavericks in town to play the Los Angeles Lakers in a game where everyone was talking about Luka Doncic,

There is much chatter surrounding Luka Doncic’s first game against the Dallas Mavericks since he was stunningly traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for a package revolving around Anthony Davis. Before experiencing that surreal experience on the court,

Kyrie Irving paid homage to his late friend, Kobe Bryant, when he visited the statues of him and his daughter, Gianna on Feb. 25.

While everyone was busy talking about Luka Doncic playing against his former team for the first time since getting traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving was seen visiting the Kobe and Gigi Bryant statue outside Crypto.

The Dallas Mavericks were defeated 107-99 by the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Before the game, however, Mavs star Kyrie Irving took some time to visit the Kobe and Gianna Bryant statue that is outside of the Crypto.

Many current NBA players had a relationship with late, great Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, but arguably none were closer than Dallas Mavericks star point guard Kyrie Irving.

Before stepping onto the court for one of the most highly anticipated games of the season, Kyrie Irving took a moment to pay tribute to his late mentor, Kobe Bryant, and Bryant’s daughter, Gigi. As the Mavericks arrived at Crypto.