As most of the NBA loses its collective mind over the news that Kyrie Irving has demanded a trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers, it appears that former Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant refuses to be bothered by it.
The former NBA MVP took to Twitter on Monday to address recent questions he has received about whether or not he is influencing Irving as the point guard tries to secure a way out of Cleveland.
I'm building @DrinkBODYARMOR @BryantStibel and a Media company but get asked if I'm influencing @KyrieIrving #mambaout pic.twitter.com/Nm3PirwKJs
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) July 24, 2017
Bryant may not be taking on a mentorship role for Irving this time around, but the two do have a relationship. Back in 2015, Irving told Cleveland.com that Bryant was the first person he called when he sustained an injury in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
“We talked for about 30 minutes and he gave me as great a talk as I needed at that time. I was in a terrible mental space knowing I couldn’t be as effective as I wanted to be,” Irving said. “He was the first person I called and we’ve had a great dialogue over the last few years so it’s been great.”
Bryant may have been the first person Irving called back then, but it looks like he will not be looking to his NBA idol for guidance this time around.
