Kyrie Irving defends Lakers legend Kobe Bryant's legacy amid recent criticism

Kobe Bryant is widely considered one of the greatest players to ever pick up a basketball. There has been a recent shift in the discourse around him, however, as media members have attempted to tear down the Los Angeles Lakers legend's legacy.

While the five-time NBA champion is unfortunately no longer here to defend his legacy, there have been countless of former teammates and opponents who have not tolerated the disrespect. Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving was the latest player to speak out on Bryant's behalf.

"I'm not letting people come on and talk about Kobe like Kobe wasn't one of the best that not only played, but that came in as a 17-year-old against grown men," Nine-time All-Star Kyrie Irving stated. "And by the time this man was 22 years old, he had a few championships and he was busting the best of the best (expletive). If y'all don't knock that (expletive) off. I'm talking to y'all at home, the (expletive) media talking heads, the ones that casually, casually throw names around. Bro, if you don't knock it off. You weren't like that."

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"It's okay," Irving continued. "Not everybody can be Kobe. Not everybody could sit and wear those size shoes that he had. I'm not going down into detail about this because what's said on the internet and digital space is said. It's the internet. But when it comes to real respect and real recognizing real, this man Kobe Bean Bryant -- he's immortalized not just because of his basketball."

"That's what I'm trying to tell y'all," Irving added. "He is way bigger because of his character, because of what we witnessed him go through. We didn't care about certain failures. The real Kobe fans didn't care about the failures. They didn't care about the naysayers. The real Kobe fans, the real Mamba fans that I'm talking to, didn't care about who he was competing with. We knew who (expletive) with Kobe and who didn't. I know who (expletive) with Kobe and who didn't."

Bryant was often compared to Michael Jordan during his playing career, with many outlets claiming that the Chicago Bulls legend was the only player he trailed on the all-time list. There has been a push as of late to attempt to claim that he is outside of the top-five -- and in some cases, outside of the top-ten -- leading to pushback from his peers.

The media's disrespect to the Lakers legend is nothing new. While he was often considered the best player in the league during his illustrious 20-year career, he won just one MVP award. Bryant passed away in 2020 and was posthumously inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball of Fame in his first year of eligibility. 

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