Heat players share Kobe memories on anniversary of death. And Heat players near return

On the one-year anniversary of NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s death in a helicopter accident, Miami Heat players discussed his legacy and their fondest memories in a video released by the team.

“He had such an impact on my life,” Bam Adebayo said. “I wanted to have that Mamba Mentality so bad, just having that look on your face. I feel like I had that moment in the [2020] Eastern Conference Finals in Game 6. I remember laying on the floor thinking this is my Mamba Moment.”

The Heat video was 8 minutes, 24 seconds — the two jersey numbers Bryant wore. Among thoughts shared by other Heat players:

▪ Jimmy Butler: “I had a lot of great conversations with him. I remember being a young player playing for the Bulls, I wanted to make a name for myself. As soon as I checked into the game against the Lakers, Luol [Deng said], ‘I’ve guarded Kobe X amount of times, you guard him for a possession.’ He scored immediately obviously but I actually got a bucket on him in that game…. Kobe is one of the most unguardable ones ever. It was a pleasure to be able to compete against him.”

▪ Udonis Haslem recalled “watching him mentor the next generation. My relationship with Dwyane [Wade] and LeBron [James], watching how they looked to him, how they reached out to him for advice. How he was always willing to be there for those guys and help them not only be better basketball players but better men.”

▪ Maurice Harkless: “Kobe was one of my biggest inspirations growing up. I got a chance to meet him when I was in college [at St. John’s]. He came to work out at my school before we had practice. And mind you, we practiced at 5:45 in the morning. I slept in the locker room because I knew he was coming so I could be there when he got there.

“I got to watch him in a little window through the training room. He made sure every door was closed, every window was shut. Afterward I got to meet him. He talked to us. It was exciting. It was humbling. It inspired me even more.”

▪ Andre Iguodala: “Having an opportunity to sign with the same agency he was with, he was the reason for that. I was able to study him a lot. It was almost like I was in Harvard Business School. I was in Kobe Business School studying his every move on and off the court. He was the model of becoming a great player and what it looked like in terms of his dedication on the court. Forever indebted to him.”

▪ Avery Bradley: “To play against him meant everything to me. My favorite memory of him was the game he scored 81 points. Being able to watch that game live meant a lot to me.”

▪ Kelly Olynyk: “Growing up a Raptors fan, Kobe came and gave us 81 when I was a kid. Just watching him work that night, he was impeccable. He meant a lot for this game and he’s taken the game to new levels. The game is where it is because of him.”

▪ Meyers Leonard: “I do remember my ‘a-ha’ moment in the NBA was I checked in the middle of the first quarter [of Leonard’s first NBA game] and I went to stand on the free-throw line and looked to my right and it was Kobe Bryant. I thought to myself as a 20-year-old, ‘Wow, I’m really in the NBA and I’m standing next to a man who has had such a big impact on this league.’”

▪ Tyler Herro: “My favorite memory of Kobe - and there were a lot of good ones - was Christmas Day when he was playing LeBron and D-Wade, the way he was competing. I learned a lot from that game, how high a level they play the game at in the NBA.”

▪ Goran Dragic: “After one [Western Conference finals] game, he came to me and gave me a pat on my back and said ‘keep working, you are going to do good things.’ That was one of my moments with Kobe that was really special to this day.”

▪ Duncan Robinson: “One thing I always have so much respect is that he demanded the ball when the moment and stage was its biggest. The impact he’s had on this generation and generations to come cannot be understated.”

AVAILABILITY UPDATE

The Heat (6-10) listed Jimmy Butler, Meyers Leonard, Maurice Harkless and Chris Silva as out for Wednesday’s home game against Denver.

Avery Bradley, Tyler Herro, Goran Dragic and Gabe Vincent are questionable. Bradley told Yahoo that he contracted COVID-19 but is ready to return. Dragic surfaced on the injury report with a groin strain. Herro continues to deal with neck spasms that have sidelined him for six games.

▪ With Clippers stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George in the NBA’s health and safety protocols, TNT dropped Thursday’s Clippers at Heat game and replaced it with Warriors-Suns. Fox Sports Sun picked up the Heat game, which will shift from 7 to 8 p.m.

Here’s my Tuesday piece with an in-depth look at how the power rotation player starting alongside Bam Adebayo has fared compared with how Jae Crowder performed in that role.