Players around the NBA have been mourning the death of Kobe Bryant, and for many who grew up watching Kobe as a formative experience, putting the thoughts into words can still be a difficult process.

After the Los Angeles Lakers returned to action in an emotional game on Friday, Russell Westbrook took to Instagram with a lengthy post paying tribute to his idol and inspiration, Kobe Bryant.

 

 

I’ve been stuck and not really knowing how to put all that I’ve been feeling into words over the past several days. I am devastated about the passing of Kobe & Gigi, on every level. I met Kobe when I was 16 at UCLA playing against him in a pick up game. He played like it was the NBA finals. From that point on, I decided that I wanted to emulate his Mamba mentality. At the time, there was no name for it, but I recognized in him what I always felt in myself. He became a friend, a brother, a mentor, a teacher, he defended me, he believed in me, and he taught me how to weather the storm. I can go on and on, but I want to thank you for being my idol, & inspiration. I will pray for you and your family everyday just as I do my own. I love you Kobe. My heart and prayers also go out to the other families involved in last weeks accident. #RIPKobe #RIPGigi

A post shared by Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) on

Westbrook entered the league in 2008, so he had the chance to watch Kobe in his prime as a young basketball player as well as go against him in some hard-fought battles on NBA hardwood.

This has been difficult to process for everyone, but we can’t even imagine what it’s like to be a player and a peer of Kobe’s right now. Carmelo Anthony, a close friend of Kobe’s, didn’t play against the Lakers due to grief.

LeBron James was back in action on Friday, and the Lakers held a beautiful pregame ceremony in honour of Kobe, his daughter Gianna and the seven other victims of the crash. No moment was more emotional than LeBron’s heartfelt address to Lakers fans.

 

h/t Instagram/russwest44