January 27, 2020
JERRY LODRIGUSS/PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER via SIPA USA
Kobe Bryant drives past Sixer Allen Iverson during the 2002 NBA All-Star game in Philadelphia. After Bryant's death in a helicopter crash on Jan. 26, 2020, Iverson expressed his grief over the loss of his friend, rival and brother.
As the basketball world and beyond reels from the shocking death of Kobe Bryant, NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson is now the latest to express his heartbreak at the loss of his friend and long-time foe on the court.
In a statement on Monday afternoon, Iverson shared an anecdote illustrating the relentless work ethic for which Byrant, 41, became famous.
Here's the full text of Iverson's statement:
Words cannot express how I'm feeling today. The only two words that ring in my head — devastated and heartbroken. I cannot seem to shake this feeling no matter what I've tried to do since hearing this yesterday.
People will always remember how we competed against each other in the league, but it goes much deeper than that for me. The story of us being drafted in arguably the deepest class of its kind ever in the history of the NBA can be debated for many years to come. However, his generosity and respect for the game is something that I witnessed first-hand every time we stepped on the dance floor to compete.
It's one memory of him that I can't stop thinking about. It was our rookie season and my first trip to LA for a game against the Lakers. He came to my hotel, picked me up and took me to a restaurant. When we returned before he left, he asked me, "what are you going to do tonight?" My reply was, "I'm going to the club, what are you going to do?" He said, "I'm going to the gym." That is who he always was, a true student of the game of basketball and also the game of life. He prepared relentlessly. There is something we can all learn from the "Mamba" mentality and from the way my brother lived his life. He will always have my respect as a competitor, as a friend, as a brother.
My thoughts and prayers are with his wife Vanessa, their children and the families of all of the victims of yesterday's tragedy. As a father, I cannot wrap my head around how they must feel.
We are not okay. But we will find the strength to pull through this together because that's what Kobe would want us to do.
Iverson and Bryant were two of the NBA's brightest stars at a time when the league was transitioning out of an era dominated by Michael Jordan's Chicago Bulls. After the Sixers and Lakers squared off in the 2001 NBA Finals, Bryant earned a level of admiration from Iverson that only deepened as their careers continued.
It grew into a fierce loyalty for Iverson, who has defended Bryant's NBA legacy and questioned why he isn't more often in the conversation of the greatest to play the game. He also hoped Bryant would join him in the Big3 league in retirement so that he could fulfill a dream of playing with Kobe on the same team. They had missed each other in the Olympics by a cycle during the 2000s.
Bryant admitted that he was obsessed with Iverson. Early in their careers, he said he studied Iverson's successes and struggles in extreme detail, hoping to identify any weakness he could exploit when they played each other.
Details surrounding Sunday's deadly helicopter crash continue to emerge amid an ongoing investigation. Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, were among nine people killed aboard the Sikorsky S-76B helicopter that crashed into a hill in Calabasas during a dense morning fog.
Both selected in the 1996 NBA draft, Iverson and Bryant were true contemporaries and superstars in every possible sense. As ambassadors for the league and for a new generation of players, they remained an essential part of the NBA fabric even in retirement.
In many respects, A.I. and Kobe may have appeared to be polar opposites, but their importance in NBA history and to each other can't be overstated.
