LeBron James Speaks Out On His Dunk Tribute To Kobe Bryant
There have been all types of tributes to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James has certainly been showing love to the Lakers icon, both on Instagram and in the Staples Center.
Perhaps James’ greatest tribute was on Thursday night (February 6) against the Houston Rockets when he caught an assist on a breakaway that emulated a play Kobe made 19 years ago.
James threw down a huge reverse dunk, that after a comparison video was made, looked exactly like one Bryant did in the same building in 2001. He was later asked about the dunk. The 35-year-old claims he didn’t do it intentionally.
"I didn't really predetermine that either until I jumped," James said Saturday, according to ESPN. "I just jumped and kind of figured it out, and then ...it's crazy how it's the same exact dunk, the same exact hoop that Kobe did [it on]—what, 19 years ago or something like that? That was nice."
Now, James believes that it was his longtime buddy who guided his dunk decision from beyond. "Ever see the movie 'The 6th Man'?" he said, referencing the 1997 Marlon Wayans movie. "Kobe came down, put himself in my body and gave me that dunk on that break."
Even though the Lakers lost 121-111, LeBron’s dunk will be very memorable. He’s just glad that the play will go down in history. "It's crazy, it's crazy," he said. "To now [have it] be a part of my history between that correlation between me and Kobe, that play, I think it's pretty, pretty, pretty awesome. I'm glad I did it in a Laker uniform."
Watch the incredible and unintended tribute below.
