Portland Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard released a new song paying tribute to the late Kobe Bryant on Friday with a little help from Snoop Dogg.
Trail Blazers point guard Damian Lillard, also known as Dame D.O.L.L.A., released a song honoring the late Kobe Bryant on Friday, with the legendary Snoop Dogg joining in as a featured artist.
The song, entitled “Kobe,” speaks about Bryant’s influence on Lillard’s development as a basketball player and honored the Black Mamba’s incredible career by speaking about his accomplishments and killer instinct on the court.
Lillard first announced the song via Twitter on Aug. 24, but it became available on streaming platforms just after midnight on Friday. With both Lillard and Bryant gracing their respective covers of NBA 2k21, the song will be featured in the game’s soundtrack.
The track is just one of many ways that NBA players and teams have honored the Lakers legend who meant so much to so many people. Los Angeles has worn “Black Mamba” jerseys during its series against the Houston Rockets to honor Bryant, and Houston Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook donned his jersey while sidelined against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Kobe was clearly an important figure in Damian Lillard’s life.
However, in listening to Lillard’s lyrics, it is clear that Bryant was a revered figure in his life, and one of the players that he looked up to the most. He calls him “the closest thing to MJ,” a comparison that dedicated NBA fans are unlikely to reject.
Bryant was a truly transcendent scorer, and, for many in Lillard’s generation, served as the Michael Jordan figure that young basketball fans venerated part of the reason why his early passing is so devastating.
Lillard’s love for making music is well-documented among NBA fans, and his ability to properly honor a legend should be applauded. “Kobe” is now available to stream on all major platforms, and with dedicated Lakers fan Snoop Dogg joining for a verse, pays tribute to both Bryant and his daughter Gigi as the sports world continues to remember their lives.