With Kobe Bryant just months from retiring, Lebron James has weighed in on one of his regrets… not meeting Kobe in the Finals.
“I didn’t hold up my end of the bargain in 2009 for the fans, for us, to meet in the Finals,” James said referring to the Cavaliers’ loss to the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference Finals. “I know the world wanted to see it. I wanted it, we wanted it. He held up his end and I didn’t hold up my end, and I hate that. I hate that that didn’t happen.”
That year was supposed to be it for the two. The media knew it. The fans knew it. And according to Lebron James… he knew it too, but never assumed. I’ve seen the stat that since ’07 either he has or I’ve been in the Finals but we’ve never matched up. And that definitely sucks. Not only for us two being competitors, wanting to go against each other in the Finals, but also for the fans.”
James went on to talk about Kobe’s impact on him from early on. “I mean, in high school I wore a nappy-ass Afro because of Kobe Bryant, because he wore it,” James said. “I wanted to be just like him, man. And I always said my inspiration came from [Michael] Jordan, but I always thought Jordan was so out of this world that I could never get there. Kobe was someone that I just always kind of wanted to be like and play like.”
Sources: espn, bleacher report, cleveland.com, instagram (picture)
