VIDEO: LeBron and Kobe hug it out
LeBron James and Kobe Bryant went head-to-head Thursday night in Los Angeles, and a good time was had by all. Especially the two stars.
Jovial throughout the game between the Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers, the two hugged it out after the 109-102 Cavs win.
"It feels good to get a hug," Kobe said after the game. "This is different for me man, cause I'm used to being hated. You go up against someone now and they give you a hug."
Kobe on playing against aging players when he was young: "It was like chasing a wounded gazelle."
— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) January 16, 2015
Kobe, 36, is taking the time to reflect, but realizes one of the reason's Thursday's night game was fun is because of where the Lakers are in the standings.
"If we were contending for a championship, I'd be my same moody self."
LeBron, who said Kobe called him "old" during the game, leading to some laughter during an interaction near the Lakers' bench, said Bryant will "go down as one of the greatest to play this game."
LeBron laughed about getting nice Kobe tonight instead of the one who used to say: "I'm taking your heart out from the jump."
— KEVIN DING (@KevinDing) January 16, 2015
Asked about never facing LeBron in the finals, Kobe looked back on his almost 20 years in the league.
"How many rivalries can I have? I've played 19 years. How many rivals can I have?"
Even the media had a ball Thursday:
"I've covered a lot of the Kobe-LeBron games over the years," tweeted ESPN's Ramona Shelburne. "This is one of the best."