Google News Kevin Durant comments on comparison with Kobe Bryant
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Kevin Durant admits he learned a lot from the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant. Before the Brooklyn Nets and Charlotte Hornets game, Hornets head coach Steve Clifford drew the comparison between Durant and Bryant. After scoring 29 points in a 122-116 win over the Hornets, Durant was asked what was the key advice he received from Bryant.
“Really just don’t be a crybaby. I was at that age at 23 where I thought the world revolved around me. And I know we’ve talked a lot about Kobe, he was real humble in how he approached the game, how he approached his teammates, just life in general.
So I learned just from watching his movements. He was an example, he didn’t say much but he was an example just by how he moved and I try to emulate, like I said, him and Mike are two dudes I emulate on and off the court what they do and I know it will make me better," Durant said.
Clifford compares Durant to Bryant
During the 2012/13 season, Clifford worked as an assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers and got a chance to work with Bryant. Before accepting the Hornets' head coaching job, Clifford worked as a player consultant for the Nets and got to know Durant better.
"He's a lot like Kobe [Bryant] to me. Their makeup is different in many ways, but on the court, they're very similar in terms of the way they work, and they're both students of the game. When I think of Kobe I think of passion, when I think of Kevin, I think of passion.
So two elite players who care deeply about the results more than they do like individual numbers," Clifford said of Durant. Bryant, who won five NBA titles as a player, will forever be remembered as one of the biggest competitors in NBA history.
Durant noted that Bryant showed him how to handle himself on and off the court. "It's hard to fill them shoes and to be a Kobe Bryant. Kob is someone I've been around and still study to this day. Basically, I try to copy everything he does.
The same with Michael Jordan. Those two guys set the tone for everything we want to be as a basketball player. I simply try to copy them as much as I can. I guess that showed to Ciff [Steve Clifford], and I enjoy being around him a lot.
We talked a lot about the game of basketball I'm sure he can hear that in my voice how much I enjoy that dialogue about the game. It's pretty cool to hear man. I love Cliff," Durant said.
