Thomas respects both legendary Lakers but has a preference.
Brooklyn Nets young guard Cam Thomas has taken full advantage of his upgraded role ever since Kyrie Irving requested (and was granted) a trade, averaging 45.5 points in two straight wins.
In doing so, he joined Los Angels Lakers forward LeBron James as the youngest player to record at least 44 points in consecutive games, as Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Bally Sports relays:
In his postgame interview, the young shooting guard expressed his joy to hear his name mentioned alongside James. However, he then followed it up by saying he would have preferred for it to be Kobe Bryant.
“That’s great company, I’m glad to have my name mentioned with that guy,” said Thomas. “Even though I’m a Kobe guy, so if you said Kobe I would’ve been a little more excited.”
It should come as no surprise that Thomas looks up to the Black Mamba. If you paid close attention to Monday night’s game against the Los Angeles Clippers, Thomas was scoring all of his buckets in a pair of Nike Kobe 6 “Grinches.”
Thomas would then mention the five-time NBA champion for the Lakers once again when asked what he’ll miss about playing with former teammate Kyrie Irving.
“We talk about Kobe and life in general,” Thomas said. “That’s what I’ll miss – me having that big brother.”
Irving shared a special relationship with the late Kobe Bryant, one that he has spoken on more in recent years. The new Mavericks guard revealed that he called Bryant in the locker room immediately after winning the 2016 NBA championship to thank him for all his guidance.
Bryant regarded Irving as the person he was closest to among his mentees. It seems as though Irving may have found a similar bond with Thomas and it doesn’t seem likely to end despite the two being on different teams now.