INDEPENDENCE, Ohio -- Kyrie Irving was one of a handful of younger players whom Kobe Bryant namechecked in his press conference Sunday when elaborating on his announcement that he would be retiring after this season.
Bryant’s message was that through Irving, and others, he will be leaving the game of basketball in good hands.
It turns out that Bryant was someone Irving turned to during the playoffs when the Cleveland Cavaliers star was dealing with a bad knee.
“During the Chicago series he was the first person I called when I had my knee issues,” said Irving, who initially tweaked his knee in the first round against Boston and eventually required surgery to repair a fractured left kneecap suffered in Game 1 of the NBA Finals.