Harden among NBA stars who grew up idolizing Kobe

With the 3-20 Los Angeles Lakers visiting the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, James Harden's squad has a perfect opportunity to get back to .500. But the only guarantee is that Houston will hop on the Kobe Bryant Farewell Wagon.

Over his 20-year career, Bryant has served as an inspiration for many future NBA stars. Harden, a Los Angeles native, was no exception.

Harden recently told Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle about the first time he met Bryant at a summer pickup game at Loyola-Marymount, away from the media circus that usually follows him.

"Kobe was my guy," Harden said ahead of Bryant's second-last appearance at Houston's Toyota Center. "I was a Laker fan. And I was a Kobe fan. Always."

Harden's agent, Rob Pelinka, recalls the encounter as well.

"I remember he came in the gym, took off his shirt and was like, 'OK, let's go,'" Pelinka, who also represents Bryant, said. "Kobe was (Harden's favorite) because he works so hard."

Harden has since established a friendship with his idol. As Harden grew into a superstar, Bryant came to recognize his talents, even texting him before last season's playoffs with words of advice.

"When we were in the playoffs last year, he sent me texts, giving me that encouragement to just leave it on the court," Harden said. "That right there was probably the best perk of all just because he's a guy you watched growing up and now he's sending you text messages. That's what life's about."