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Athletes who have rubbed shoulders with Kobe Bryant have memorable anecdotes about the late basketball legend. For former NFL wide receiver and current “Undisputed” host Keyshawn Johnson, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player helped refine his autograph.
Johnson shared in the April 12 episode of FOX Sports’ “All Facts No Breaks” podcast:
“Kobe was a person who taught me how to sign my autograph. Because we were flying together on a private jet to Portland, Oregon to do something for Adidas, some sort of event.
“And we had memorabilia we needed to sign before we landed. And I don’t know it might have been 30 different items. Basketball, football, maybe it was like some jerseys or something.”
Keyshawn Johnson and Kobe Bryant became pro athletes in 1996. The former USC wideout was the top overall pick in that year’s NFL Draft.
Meanwhile, the Charlotte Hornets selected Bryant 13th overall in that year’s NBA Draft. However, the Hornets traded the pick to the Lakers before the pick, making the Philadelphia native the first guard drafted out of high school.
Johnson added:
“He had started when I started but he had finished way before me because I was putting my entire name in the number. And he just was right and Kobe eight. So, I asked him, ‘Kobe man, how the hell you finish so fast?’
“He’s like, ‘What are you doing?’ And he leaned over he’s like, ‘Well, that’s the problem right there.’ I have my whole name. And he was like, ‘Man, you gotta just shorten it to Keyshawn.’ I shortened it to Keyshawn and my number.”
Johnson and Bryant attained the highest team honor in their respective sports. The three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver won Super Bowl 37 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Kobe Bryant had five NBA titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, the only team he played for in 21 seasons.
Bryant’s shocking death occurred on January 26, 2020, when the helicopter he and his daughter, Gianna, rode, crashed in Calabasas en route to a Mamba Sports Academy basketball game in Thousand Oaks, California.
Kobe Bryant is an all-time NBA great
His NBA contemporaries won’t run out of admiration for Bryant because of his impact on the game during his generation. Aside from the above accolades, Kobe Bryant is an 11-time All-NBA First Team member and an 18-time All-Star.
He has two NBA Finals MVP awards and earned nine NBA All-Defensive First Team selections. Bryant led the league in scoring twice and was the All-Star Game MVP four times.
