Kobe Bryant is the latest celebrity to publicly speak on the influence that Phife Dawg has had on him. 

The Tribe Called Quest rapper and co-founder passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday (March 22) at the age of 45 from complications due to diabetes. 

During a post-game interview on Friday (March 25) Bryant was asked to comment about Phife’s legacy and personal influence.

"It's the passing of a legend," Bryant shared. "He made timeless music. It's very hard nowadays, with music being so in the moment. What they've been able to do is make music that stands the test of time. You can release a Tribe album and it's just as relevant and hot now as it was then. That speaks to the attention to detail, the genius of their craft."

Bryant has been vocal about his taste in music from the jump, often discussing its importance in aiding his ability focus on the court. 

"I always listen to music that brought me back to a moment in time," he continued in the interview. "Because I think the game is such an emotional one, I always tend to listen to music that brought me to a moment in time in which I had a certain emotion, whether it was high school, or as a kid in Italy or the first few years in the league, whether it was calm, whether it was excitement. That's what music does for me. It's not just listening to music just to listen to music, but whatever music's gonna put me in the right emotional setting that I feel is important for that day."

Phife Dawg is sure to be smiling knowing that the basketball superstar is consistently bumping Tribe before getting down to business on the court. 

Check out Bryant’s commentary about the iconic rapper below. 

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(Photo: Harry How/Getty Images)