"If you had my shoes on, you would get more buckets"- When Kobe Bryant dissed Tristan Thompson for wearing LeBron James' shoes

LA Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was known as one of the NBA’s fiercest trash talkers throughout his 20-year career. However, Bryant also had some fun with his opponents. That includes former Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson during his rookie season.

On Jan. 13, 2012, Thompson’s Cavs were taking on Bryant’s Lakers in LA. According to Thompson, Bryant jokingly called him out for wearing then-Miami Heat superstar forward LeBron James’ shoes instead of Bryant's:

“I remember my rookie year, I was wearing LeBron shoes and playing at Staples (Center), and he said, ‘Young fella, if you had my shoes on, you would get more buckets,’” Thompson said, via BasketballNews.com's Alex Kennedy.

He continued:

“That made me laugh, and it was cool. The fact a guy I looked up to my whole life, for him to say something like that to me, especially as a rookie, was like, ‘This guy's a human.’ Growing up as a kid, you view those guys as superheroes. The fact that he said that to me was something that I'll always tell my kids when I get older.”

Thompson was then asked if he ended up getting a pair of Bryant’s shoes following the game. However, the fourth pick of the 2011 NBA draft said that his teammate, 2011 No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving, got first dibs:

“Nah, Kyrie got ‘em,” Thompson said. “No. 1 pick. But I got my pictures (with Bryant), though. Those are going to be framed and hung up in my house.”

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Tristan Thompson on Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing in 2020

Former Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson

Following Kobe Bryant’s tragic, unexpected passing in 2020, Tristan Thompson spoke about the importance of not taking his time in the league for granted.

Thompson said that he's going to do his best to soak in all the memories while he still can:

“I’ve been in the league nine years and seen teammates come and go,” Thompson said. “Just soak it up because guys you’re in the locker room with today, there’s a pretty high chance you won’t have the same locker room the following year or years after that, so just enjoy those memories.”

Thompson added that Bryant’s legacy will live on through the current generation of stars who were impacted by the Lakers legend:

“It shows you how much he touched our league,” Thompson said. “He carried our league for a long time. He’s helped our league grow to being where it is today, and he paid it forward for all of us to have a great living and great perks.

"Guys like him paved the way for us young guys. He’s passed the torch forward to guys like Bron and Steph and KD and Kyrie. It’s on them to keep his legacy alive and keep pushing the game forward.”