Missing Kobe Bryant, Lakers coach Darvin Ham reflects on black mamba's greatness

Something that coach Darvin Ham and the late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant have in common is that both players started their NBA careers in 1996. Both faced each other in the 2004 NBA Finals, where Ham won his first championship as a player, by that time, Kobe already had three rings alongside Shaquille O'Neal.

Today marks 4 years since the world lost Kobe and his daughter Gigi Bryant in a tragic helicopter crash accident and coach Darvin Ham has reflected on his relationship with the late legend and the greatness of the black mamba.

"Having the opportunity to come into the league at the same time as him, played against him, coaching him, really knowing him from a competitive standpoint," Ham recalled when asked about Bryant’s legacy.

Ham also pointed out Kobe’s greatness extends beyond the world of basketball. "Whatever he involved himself in, he wanted to conquer it," Ham said.

Kobe and Darvin Ham had a special bond that most didn't know about it

A video posted by the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022 from what appears to be Ham's first season as the Hawks coach in 2013, reveals the two had a special bond and that Mamba raved about Ham’s potential as a coach. "[Kobe and Darvin] had daily sessions after practice. Because Darvin was a physical player, he’s a physical coach. Kobe said, ‘I love that. That helped my game,’" the video caption posted to X said.