10 NBA players with Kobe's Mamba Mentality

#4 Damian Lillard - Portland Trail Blazers

Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard and Kobe both have something similar to them while talking about their basketball mindsets. Lillard faced Bryant for the 1st time in his career when he was a rookie and scored 38 points against the Los Angeles Lakers and Bryant was so impressed by Lillard's performance that Bryant tweeted about Lillard:

#vintagevino. Lillard is the real deal #mambasalute

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) April 11, 2013

When Damian was asked about his favorite player, he tweeted:

Bron... but I was more infatuated with Kobe. Kobe was a real BOY https://t.co/U8VpN1cuZL

— Damian Lillard (@Dame_Lillard) August 30, 2017

Now, when it comes to the mentality which Lillard has in him then, he and Kobe share quite similar mentalities on the court. Like Kobe, Lillard has similar skills, whether it is driving to the rim or handling the tough and clutch situations, Lillard has got'em all and still improving himself to play with the Mamba Mentality.

Bryant was suffering through a knee injury in 2014, but his fans voted him for the All-Star game, Kobe asked them to vote Damian instead of him. This signifies that Kobe can see the Mamba Mentality in Lillard and he knows that Lillard can take his mamba mentality to a higher level.