By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
A visibly emotional Luka Doncic talked about the influence that Kobe Bryant had on him wanting to play basketball, following the first Dallas Mavericks‘ game after the “Black Mamba’s” and his daughter Gianna’s death.
“He was a lot,” Doncic said on Kobe after the win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. “He and Lebron were for me the guys that I play basketball. I looked up to them and that’s why I got motivated to play basketball. It’s just really hard.”
It was intense and Doncic admitted that it was quite difficult to focus on the game itself. “I broke down after the first quarter. That’s when it really hit me. It was really hard to play today,” the 20-year-old MVP candidate said.
“Everything,” Doncic answered when asked what he remembers most about Kobe. The Slovenian player then recalled a Mavericks‘ game against at Staples Center. “Obviously that one time, a month ago at Staples Center. It was something special. Kobe knows me. It was something amazing.” Kobe took a picture of Luka and his daughter Gianna. Luka was reported to being one of Gianna’s favorite players.
Doncic had written the names of all nine victims of the helicopter crash on the Kobe 5 shoes he wore in the match vs. the Thunder.
Luka has the victims of the tragedy written on his Kobe’s. ?#RIPmamba ? pic.twitter.com/RdjlyV6LUB
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 28, 2020
“I just wanted to honor the people. Anything I can do for their families, I’m open to do it. Anything,” Doncic said.