Lakers superstar, who died in a helicopter crash at age 41, forged friendships with several tennis champions.
Kobe Bryant's shocking passing in a helicopter crash prompted an outpouring of tributes and love from the tennis community.

The 41-year-old Lakers legend was among nine people, including his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, who perished in the crash in Calabasas, California on Sunday morning.

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An 18-time NBA all-star, Bryant was widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in history. Bryant was more than a global sports icon, he was a philanthropist and a mentor to many athletes in several different sports, including Novak Djokovic.

Earlier this week, reigning Australian Open champion called Bryant his "mentor" and credited his insight and wisdom with helping the Serbian return from injury and surgery earlier in his career.

"When I was going through the injury with my elbow and struggling to mentally and emotionally handle all of these different things that were happening to me and dropping in the rankings and then having to work my way up, he was one of the people who was really there for me to give me some very valuable advice and guidelines to kind of believe and trust in myself, trust the process that I’ll be back, Djokovic told ESPN of Bryant's influence. "I’m very grateful to him for being there for me, for being very supportive. I love Kobe, who doesn’t?

"He’s an amazing guy and one of the best basketball players and athletes of all time."

A tennis fan who visited the US Open last summer, Bryant formed friendships with several champions, including Serena Williams, Venus Williams, Naomi Osaka, Roger Federer and Djokovic.

"The most important thing is to try and inspire people so that they can be great in whatever they want to do," Bryant said.

Nick Kyrgios
Photo credit: Mark Peterson/Corleve

Nick Kyrgios, a massive NBA fan, never met Bryant, but was inspired by the superstar's passion. Kyrgios paid tribute wearing a Kobe Bryant jersey in the warm-up of his fourth-round match vs. Rafael Nadal and said he tried to emulate Bryant's example during the match.

"When I woke up to the news, it was pretty emotional. It was pretty heavy, like, all day," Kyrgios said. "It's horrible news. 

"I mean, if anything, it motivated me. If you look at the things he stood for, what he wanted to be remembered by, I felt like, if anything, it helped me tonight. When I was down a break in the fourth, I was definitely thinking about it. I fought back."

During a visit to the US Open last summer, Bryant called fellow Nike endorser Naomi Osaka "a phenomenal talent" and praised tennis players for the solitary strength they show on court.

"The speed of the game is truly remarkable," Bryant told US Open TV. "And their footwork and the fact they're really isolated there's no teammate that can cover for them in a blown coverage."

Kobe Bryant is survived by wife Vanessa, as well as the couple’s three daughters: Natalia, 17; Bianka, 3; and Capri Kobe Bryant, born last June.

Friends, fans and players paid tribute to Bryant on social media. 



Photo credit: Getty

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