The relationship between Kyrie Irving and Kobe Bryant went far beyond basketball. Kobe became a mentor to Kyrie during the early years of his NBA career, helping shape the “Mamba Mentality” mindset that Kyrie still talks about today. Kyrie has shared multiple stories about studying Kobe’s footwork, mentality, and obsession with preparation, even challenging him to legendary 1-on-1 workouts before eventually building a close friendship with him. During the 2016 NBA Playoffs and NBA Finals run with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Kobe stayed in contact with Kyrie, offering advice on leadership, confidence, and embracing pressure moments. After Cleveland completed the historic 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals, Kyrie revealed he immediately FaceTimed Kobe from the locker room because he believed Kobe’s advice and “Mamba Mentality” directly helped him hit the iconic game-winning three-pointer over Stephen Curry. Kyrie later said that during the biggest moments of Game 7, all he could think about was “Mamba Mentality.” The shot became one of the most clutch plays in NBA history and cemented the bond between Kyrie Irving and Kobe Bryant forever. Credits: ESPN 🏀 NBA 🏀 Cleveland Cavaliers 🏀 Los Angeles Lakers 🏀 Team USA 🏀 Podcast P with Paul George 🏀 SiriusXM 🏀 I Am Athlete 🏀 Kai Cenat 🏀 Song: Blood Orange - Champagne Coast Copyright & Fair Use Notice: This video is created for transformative purposes, including commentary, storytelling, and educational discussion. This video is for entertainment purposes only. All footage, audio, and images belong to their respective copyright holders. No copyright infringement is intended. Content is edited and recontextualized to add original narrative value. If you are a rights holder and believe this material has been used incorrectly, please reach out and the content will be addressed promptly in accordance with platform guidelines