Kobe Bryant was one of the most influential players of his generation, there is no doubt about that.He led the L.A. Lakers to five NBA titles during his storied 20-year career, all of which he suited up for the Purple and Gold.Many of the Lakers' fans today stem from Kobe's brilliance and the things that he did for the City of Angels, and that includes plenty of today's NBA stars.Some of those stars hailed from the L.A. area, like Paul George and DeMar DeRozan.The latter has been tearing it up for the Toronto Raptors this season and is averaging 27.2 points per game.Tweeting about the release of his new signature shoes, DDR took time to praise Kobe - a fellow Nike athlete - and talk about how he inspired him.

"Kobe's ability to fight through adversity inspired me as a kid growing up in Compton. My Compton #KobeAD PE drops April 12. #Comp10," DeRozan tweeted.

There's no doubt Kobe inspired a whole generation of players and that is especially relevant to DeRozan, who also operates as a shooting guard.

The Black Mamba, no doubt doing his bit to promote the release of the show at the same time, responded to DeRozan's tweet and told the Raptors star it is now his time to pick up the baton.\

"And now it's on you @DeMar_DeRozan to inspire the next #museon #KobeAD #fadeonem"

Of course, DeRozan had the chance to fill Kobe's shoes last summer and return to his hometown in free agency just as Vino retired.

However, he opted to stay in Canada and has managed a career-season since.

Perhaps we will see some young Canadian stars saying the same thing to DDR in the years to come.