Jazz Players And Coaches Remember Kobe Bryant At Shootaround

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Utah Jazz held shoot around before facing the Houston Rockets, but all attention was on the passing of NBA legend Kobe Bryant. A somber feeling permeated the practice as Jazz players and coaches shared their condolences and memories of Bryant.

Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell discussed what it meant to enter the league after Bryant retired and the role the Los Angeles Lakers star played in the lives of the NBA’s new generation of players.

“He wasn’t just a basketball player. That’s what hits home,” Mitchell said, “So many people obviously remember him for what he’d done on the court but who he was off the court, the person, the people he touched without even knowing he touched. I think that’s one thing that really stood out. ”

Donovan Mitchell discusses the importance of Kobe Bryant for himself and young NBA players. pic.twitter.com/3vxNhPtuYx

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 27, 2020

Mitchell went on to discuss what it meant growing up watching Bryant play.

“Kobe to us, guys like myself, it was either Kobe or Bron growing up. It was one of the two, you had no other choice. I grew up not a fan of Kobe, I was team Bron. As soon as I got to the league watching film, it was just like, one thing that stood out was his work ethic. The one thing I asked all of his former teammates and coaches, the man never took a day off.”

During a playoff series against the Rockets, working as an analyst for ESPN, Bryant broke down the play of Mitchell for the web series “Detail”.”

“I’ll never forget where I was when he did the detail of my game. I was in the hotel room right before game 3 or game 2, I was just in shock that he was talking about me.”

Several current members of the Jazz organization either played with or coached Bryant during his career. Guard Jordan Clarkson played alongside Bryant during his first two years in the NBA but was unavailable to the media. Center Ed Davis spent one season with Bryant in a Lakers uniform in 2014-15.

Both represented by agent Rob Pelinka, Davis recalled his first interactions with Bryant after signing with the Lakers.

“I went in my phone and typed his name in and pulled up some old text messages,” Davis recounted, “He was talking about winning championships. He was probably the only one in the world that thought that team could win a championship, we was a 20 win team at best. That just showed you how much he thought of himself and how he really through that we could win a championship. His mindset was on another level.”

Former teammate of Kobe Bryant, Ed Davis discussing signing with the Kobe led Lakers. pic.twitter.com/cFn1ytOEHR

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 27, 2020

Jazz head coach Quin Snyder was an assistant coach for the Lakers under Mike Brown, coaching Bryant in 2011-12. Snyder shared his thoughts on Bryant and the season he spent coaching in Los Angeles.

“His authenticity was something that was so unique. He was just a unique human being,” Snyder said, “I know the time, although it was a short period of time I was with him, I know the impact that he had on me in multiple ways. I was fortunate to be able to maintain a relationship with him in whatever capacity that occurred.”

The usually stoic coach was visibly emotional about the death of his former player.

Head coach of the @UtahJazz Quin Snyder discussing the passing of Kobe Bryant. pic.twitter.com/JDcJ3iHKYK

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 27, 2020

“I think there’s just an overwhelming sense of loss. Heartbroken for his family, and that was one of the things that I kept hearing and taking, his life after basketball, his commitment, and love of his family. That’s really all I have to comment. I think also, our hearts go out to the other families that were involved as well and how everyone’s impacted by a tragedy like this.”

Mitchell went on to say that the team would plan to commemorate Bryant before the game against the Rockets.

“I think it’s obvious for us to just continue to pay our respects anyway that we possibly can and go out there and play for him. It’s a situation that really caught a lot of us off guard, there’s really no way to really handle it, just going out there and like I said paying respects in any way that we can.”

The Jazz and Rockets tipoff at 7 PM MST at Vivint Smart Home Arena.