Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers has shown his dedication to the Los Angeles Lakers over the years, and as such, he has some awesome memories featuring the franchise.
One such memory came when Lakers legend Kobe Bryant took a moment to come over to him right before a big game. He told Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson about it for Lakers Daily.
“I think it was the Western Conference Finals against the [San Antonio] Spurs and I did the anthem and I was in hallway in the back waiting to do the anthem and he came out and I knew when he came out, but I knew he had the game face on, like serious, you know what I mean?” Flea explained.
Despite being focused on the game, Bryant still made time for Flea.
“He went out of his way to come over and say hello and I really appreciated that, you know?” Flea said. “Because he knew my energy was dedicated.”
Earlier in the conversation, Flea explained he never had any “major” interactions with Bryant but that the Lakers icon was “always real cool with me.”
Bryant gained a reputation for his intensity and will to win, and his pregame approach surely played a part in that regard. As such, it’s cool that he took a moment amid the intensity to speak to Flea.
Hopefully, Flea was able to enjoy all five championships that Bryant helped the Lakers win. They came in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2009 and 2010.
In Bryant’s last two titles with the Lakers, he took home Finals MVP honors both times, helping to cement his place in team history.
By the time his career came to an end, Bryant had 18 All-Star nods, 15 All-NBA selections, two scoring titles and one league MVP award, in addition to his five rings, two Finals MVP awards and numerous other accolades.
Bryant, of course, lost his life too soon in a helicopter crash in 2020. He was just a few years into retirement at the time of the accident.
Today’s Lakers are trying to continue bringing titles back to Los Angeles, and their last one came in 2020. It was delivered by stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis and a strong supporting cast.
Now, L.A. is operating with James, newcomer Luka Doncic and some other pieces, and the hope is that another title is in the cards soon. There’s no doubt that Flea will be following along as closely as he can amid L.A.’s pursuit of banner No. 18.