Los Angeles Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant will be retiring after this season. In his twenty years in the league, the shooting guard has inspired many people around the world, including a large portion of the young players currently playing in the NBA. But while many have tried to imitate Bryant and be like him on the basketball court, perhaps the person who is doing it with the most success is his 10-year-old daughter Gianna.
According to Kobe, Gianna is already learning parts of her father’s game and mannerisms and putting them to use (via Baxter Holmes of ESPN):
“We were shooting not too long ago and she was shooting one-dribble pullups,” Bryant recalled. “I asked her where does she get that from?
“She said, ‘From watching you.'”
“I didn’t know she was paying attention that much,” Bryant continued. “I watch her play and she has the same mannerisms. She’ll sit there and bite her jersey and all this other stuff.
“That’s a beautiful thing.”
Bryant seems to be enjoying his last few months as an NBA player. But the most joy he is getting is from seeing his young daughter having pride in her father’s legacy and profession and follow his path, to some extent. For an entire generation of fans, Kobe’s midrange jumpers and iconic shots of him biting his jersey have been legacy-creating moments. Now, Bryant gets to enjoy those same moments in a miniature version of himself. Who knows, maybe Gianna will follow Bryant’s path and become a basketball great in her own way.
