Kobe Brown reveals incident that gave him an identical first name to Mamba: “Kobe was my idol”

Kobe Brown has made quite the name for himself heading into the upcoming NBA season. Brown, who was selected as the last pick of the first round of this year's NBA Draft, carries the same name as the one and only Kobe Bryant.

Given Bryant's prominent place in NBA history, it's no wonder that the similarity instantly became a talking point in basketball circles. Over the course of five games played in the summer league, Brown impressed, averaging 15.2 points per game over 25.4 mpg.

At 6'8, Brown stands several inches taller than most shooting guards, and at 250 lbs, he's considerably stronger than most small forwards. At the same time, he seems to have a great touch from beyond the arc, averaging 43.3% from downtown over five summer league games.

As he continued to make a name for himself, he spoke with FanDuel TV to discuss the origins of his name, explaining how he ended up named after the NBA great.

"My dad was a high school coach and had a player that was recruited by Kobe [Bryant's] dad when he was at La Salle a long time ago and he took on a visit to La Salle."

"While he was down there, he went to one of Kobe's high school games and he pretty much just saw how Kobe was and he said if he ever had a son, he'd name him after Kobe."

2023 NBA Summer League - Los Angeles Clippers v Utah Jazz

How Kobe Brown drew inspiration from Kobe Bryant

Like many kids growing up, Kobe Brown drew inspiration from Kobe Bryant, given the LA Lakers star's dominance in the league. With players like Jayson Tatum and Devin Booker both notably carrying the torch for the next generation of hoopers inspired by Bryant, Kobe Brown fits right in.

As he explained to FanDuel TV, given that his father named him after Kobe Bryant, he studied the five-time champ's game. With that being said, at 250 lbs and six-feet-seven inches tall, Brown came to the realization that he and Bryant didn't have the same style of game.

As a result, he tried to take different aspects from other players' games in order to be truly versatile. It's something that will benefit him greatly in LA, with the Clippers looking at him to be a versatile player rather than a traditional small forward or power forward.

Speaking to The Athletic, he touched on the expectations for him heading into this season and how growing up trying to be versatile will pay off as a professional.

“Talking to coaches and whatnot, they never really said they wanted me to come in and be a big man, but they said they wanted me to come in and be like a versatile player that can play the big man if he needs to and also maybe the 1, 2, 3, 4, and the 5."

"Just play anywhere on the floor, really. They never gave me a specific position. They want me to play everything.”

With Kawhi Leonard and Paul George both showing that they have struggled with injuries in LA, Kobe Brown could become a rotational player sooner rather than later.