Kobe Bryant je še enkrat več pokazal, da ni (bil) le eden največjih košarkarjev, ampak tudi velik človek. Po grdi poškodbi gležnja, ki jo je že po petih minutah v dresu Bostona staknil Gordon Hayward, zaradi česar je že končal letošnjo sezono, mu je Črna Mamba napisal pismo spodbude, v katerem mu je dal vedeti, da je prav, da je jezen, žalosten, da se lahko tudi razjoče in kriči, vendar naj se podrobno posveti operaciji. Naj sprašuje, da bo popolnoma razumel proces operacije in okrevanja. Nato naj se popolnoma posveti okrevanju. Ko mu bo vse to uspelo, bo tako hvaležen za vsak korak, da bo treniral še močneje kot kadarkoli. Na koncu mu je Bryant zaželel srečo pri njegovem popotovanju, celoten zapis pa si lahko preberete spodaj…  

Be sad. Be mad. Be frustrated.  Scream. Cry. Sulk.  When you wake up you will think it was just a nightmare only to realize it’s all too real. You will be angry and wish for the day back, the game back THAT play back.  But reality gives nothing back and nor should you. Time to move on and focus on doing everything in your power to prepare for surgery, ask all the questions to be sure you understand fully the procedure so that you may visualize it in your subconscious while being operated on and better the chance of it’s success. Then focus on the recovery process day by day by day. It’s a long journey but if you focus on the mini milestones along the way you will find beauty in the struggle of doing simple things that prior to this injury were taken for granted. This will also mean that when you return you will have a new perspective. You will be so appreciative of being able to stand, walk, run that you will train harder than you ever have. You see the belief within you grow with each mini milestone and you will come back a better player for it.  Best of luck to you on this journey my brother #mambamentality always.

A post shared by Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) on Oct 18, 2017 at 8:38am PDT

Se je pa Hayward pred prvo domačo tekmo navijačem oglasil preko velikega zaslona v dvorani in se jim zahvalil za vse dobre misli in molitve ter povedal, da je v redu in da si bolj kot karkoli želi, da bi bil lahko na parketu s svojo ekipo.