A look at the top Kobe Bryant memories tied with the Heat. A lot of them involve Wade.
The tragic death of NBA legend and Lakers great Kobe Bryant has left many reflecting on the person and basketball player he was.
While Bryant spent his entire NBA career in the Western Conference, there are still many memorable moments from his playing days that will forever be tied with the Heat.
Here are five of those moments ...
The alley-oop in the 2008 Beijing Olympics
Bryant and Heat icon Dwyane Wade won a gold medal at the 2008 Olympics as teammates on the USA Basketball team. In a game against Greece, Wade stole the ball and threw a perfect lob pass to Bryant for a beautiful alley-oop. Wade later called it one of the best lobs he has ever thrown.
The game-winner on Dec. 4, 2009
With the Lakers trailing the Heat by two points in the final seconds, Bryant banked in a game-winning one-legged three-pointer over Wade as the final buzzer sounded. The shot lifted the Lakers to a 108-107 win over the Heat at Staples Center, as Bryant finished with 33 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals.
The late-night shooting session at AmericanAirlines Arena on March 10, 2011
After scoring 24 points on 8-of-21 shooting in a 94-88 loss to the Heat, Bryant returned to the AmericanAirlines Arena court as the clock ticked toward midnight and went through shooting drills for nearly an hour.
“I just wanted to work on some things,” Bryant said to reporters following his postgame workout. “I just wanted to work on my game.”
The hard foul in the 2012 All-Star Game
Bryant and Wade were involved in some physical play in the 2012 All-Star Game that ended with Wade unintentionally breaking Bryant’s nose during a hard foul. Wade later apologized to Bryant: “He knows it’s no ill intent of me to do that to him. Talk about me for taking the foul, but I never wanted that kind of outcome.” What did Bryant say to Wade about the physical play? “Bro, I love it.”
The final matchup on March 30, 2016
In Bryant’s final game against the Heat before retiring at the end of the 2015-16 season, he scored just two points on 1-of-7 shooting in the Lakers’ 102-100 overtime win at Staples Center. But it’s what Bryant said after that game that really sticks out and has stuck with Wade. And the fact that Wade interrupted Bryant’s postgame press conference that night.
“I love him because he was a vicious competitor,” Bryant said of Wade. “He’s vicious. He’s mean. We can have those type of battles and then afterwards hang out and have a conversation then lace them up and go right back at it. I enjoyed competing against him. He’s the hardest player I’ve ever had to guard on a screen and roll.”
This story was originally published January 27, 2020 at 1:33 PM.
