I'm sure you've all heard the news. I'm not going to post an obit here however. Instead, I'm posting an old article his connection to JKD.

NBA legend Kobe Bryant on how Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do philosophy inspired ‘Mamba Mentality’
Speaking on his latest trip to China, the former Lakers great explains how Hong Kong’s kung fu master has been a constant guiding force in his life and career
Andrew McNicol
Published: 12:31pm, 17 Sep, 2017


Bruce Lee in Game of Death.
In 2010, The Black Mamba decided to redesign his Nike Kobe Zoom V shoe in honour of the man he adores so much.
He changed the upper and lace colour to yellow, a homage to Lee’s trademark jumpsuit in the movie Game of Death (1978).
He then added four distinct red slashes on the side, resembling the claw marks on Lee’s chest in Enter the Dragon (1973). Just like that, the Nike Zoom Kobe V Bruce Lees were born.


Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon (1973)

“I really looked up to him and felt it was important to do a Bruce Lee tribute shoe,” he revealed.
And now with a legacy of his own, who is going to honour the great Kobe Bryant?
Cue new Boston Celtics acquisition Kyrie Irving, the 25-year-old who decided to prove a point by stepping out of LeBron James’ shadow at the Cleveland Cavaliers.


Kobe's Bruce Lee shoes. Photo: Flickr

Irving released his Kyrie 3 Mamba Mentality shoe on Friday, saying it was inspired by Bryant and Lee.
“I was 17 years old playing the Nike Extravaganza in California, and ended up wearing these Kobe Bruce Lee editions for that game,” Irving said on Instagram. “We won, and from that point on, it was hands down my favourite shoe ever.”
Despite their difference in physical attributes, Kyrie is often compared to Kobe because of his fearless attitude, scorer’s mentality and smooth handles on the court.
Perhaps this is why Kobe was so open to the idea of a collaboration.
“Kyrie called me and said ‘do you mind if I do a shoe as a tribute to you?’, to which I said absolutely,” said Kobe.
“He then said ‘I would love to do the Kyrie-Kobe-Bruce shoe,’ and I said let’s go for it.”
As the Bruce Lee torch continues to burn brightly in the NBA world, it’s no wonder Kobe is excited to see who the next torch-bearer will be.
“Seeing the connectivity between our generations is awesome. That Mamba Mentality is kicking right back in.”

Andrew McNicol
Andrew McNicol is a sports writer with a particular interest in football, rugby and mixed martial arts. He also enjoys covering local athletes and niche sports in the region. He first joined the Post as a sub-editor for Young Post before moving to the Sport desk.
We lost a lot of greats last weekend, none of whom I had the honor of meeting: Kobe, Nasty & GM Ip Ching