LeBron on Bryantesque dunk: Kobe 'put himself in my body'
Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James threw down a dunk against the Houston Rockets on Thursday that was eerily similar to a slam late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant delivered at the Staples Center 19 years earlier.
Same arena. Same basket. Same dunk. 19 years apart. 💜💛 pic.twitter.com/fj7HRmqv3c
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) February 8, 2020
On Saturday, James said he received a helping hand in performing the double-clutch reverse dunk.
"Ever see the movie 'The 6th Man'? Kobe came down, put himself in my body and gave me that dunk on that break," James said following the Lakers' 125-120 win over the Golden State Warriors, according to ESPN's Dave McMenamin.
James added: "I just jumped and kind of figured it out, and then ... it's crazy how it's the same exact dunk, the same exact hoop that Kobe did (it on) - what, 19 years ago or something like that? That was nice."
A sensational photograph of James suspended in mid-air was captured during the play. The image took on a special meaning for the 35-year-old once the connection to Bryant's slam became apparent. James and his mother, Gloria, both plan on framing the photo and hanging it in their respective homes.
"To now (have it) be a part of my history between that correlation between me and Kobe, that play, I think it's pretty, pretty, pretty awesome," James said. "I'm glad I did it in a Laker uniform."