Jordan Clarkson, who played with Kobe Bryant early in his career on the LA Lakers team, reacted to Bryant’s death on social media. He thanked Bryant for being “more than a teammate,” as one of many athletes who took to social media expressing their grief over Bryant’s death on Sunday.
Filipino American Clarkson, who was traded by the Lakers to the Cleveland Cavaliers, then went to the Utah Jazz this off-season, is the only Asian American playing in the NBA since the departure of Jeremy Lin. Lin now plays in China with a professional basketball team, the Beijing Ducks.
Clarkson was one of only 18 players invited to take part in Bryant’s mini-camp last summer.
But the soon-to-be free agent spent the summer trying to transform into a different kind of beast, developing the Mamba Mentality while working out with legend Kobe Bryant.
“Those were like the best two days of my summer,” Clarkson said. “He sat us down and we had a whole schedule. I feel like those two days I learned so much and it was great. Amazing process.”
Clarkson’s takeaway from the camp was developing that the Mamba Mentality. It’s about a player constantly trying to be the best version of himself. It’s about improving each day.
Upon hearing about Bryant’s death, Lin, who was also a former teammate of Bryant and Clarkson on the Lakers, posted this on his twitter account:
