On multiple occasions last season, Giannis Antetokounmpo stated that one of his main targets for the summer was to work out with Kobe Bryant and pick his brain. This week, the Greek Freak finally got his wish as he took to the court with the Los Angeles Lakers legend. Bryant has been keeping himself busy this summer as he's spent time working with several youngsters including Jayson Tatum and Kyle Kuzma. But despite being one of the best players in the league, Antetokounmpo still wanted to learn from the legendary guard.
Learning from Kobe
This was always the plan for the Milwaukee Bucks superstar this offseason.
“Hopefully, get in touch with Kobe and get a few days just to work on my footwork, my mentality,” he said after the Bucks were eliminated in the playoffs, per the Journal Sentinel.
“What he thinks I could do better. Watch some clips with him, some plays with him. That would be great.
"If I have the opportunity to do that, that’d be a really great thing I think would help me get to the next level.”
That opportunity came and the two-time All-Star thanked the Black Mamba on Instagram, saying he "learned a lot" from the time he spent with him.
"Find a way and have no regrets - Kobe Bean Bryant. Thank you for allowing me to workout with you @kobebryant I learned a lot," he wrote on his caption.
The small forward has spoken of his admiration for Kobe many times and there is certainly a mutual respect between the two.
In April, Antetokounmpo was the focal point of a video in Bryant’s “Musecage” series on ESPN.
The five-time champion also challenged the Milwaukee star to win MVP last year and described how there are similarities between them.
"Giannis (Antetokounmpo) is really, really fun to watch," he said. "The way he plays the game and the passion with which he plays, I love watching Giannis play.
"He plays with the same passion and the same mean streak. He's aggressive, he's always attacking at both ends of the floor."
The 23-year-old is already an incredible talent but there are areas of his game he needs to improve if he wants to be considered the best.
The most obvious is his shooting as he's still not completely confident in his jumper.
If he's able to add this weapon to his arsenal during his workouts with Bryant, he'll become truly unstoppable on the court.
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