CLEVELAND — Kobe Bryant played hard to get.
So LeBron James really, really had to earn Bryant's respect.
James' childlike reverence for Bryant never waned, as a result.
The guy who wore No. 8 on a poster on James' wall, whose hairstyle James once tried to emulate and work ethic James blew up into some mythical force of personal fear-based motivation, was and always will be a god to James.
That's why Bryant not pursuing a spot on the U.S. Olympic basketball team this summer is a very real reason James might also not join the team, according to NBA sources.
James is that disappointed the Rio Olympics will not serve as the final, ultimate celebration of Bryant's career—and more so that James won't have the priceless honor of being Bryant's co-star teammate when it ends.
James has not made a decision on Brazil and is expected to gauge how he feels after the NBA season. But James alluded last month to Bryant's absence from the U.S. team when James was named a finalist. In saying he was no closer to a decision on Rio, James said, "The last time I thought about Team USA was Kob ...
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Article written by Kevin Ding
LeBron’s Reverence for Kobe May See Him Honor Bryant and Skip Rio Olympics
February 11th, 2016 by Kevin Ding Leave a reply »
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