For years, NBA fans hoped to watch LeBron James and Kobe Bryant go at it in the NBA Finals. Instead, they had to settle for watching them join forces in Team USA and go against each other twice a year in the regular season and once in the All-Star Game.However, unlike what some people might think, they weren't rivals. And once James joined the LA Lakers, the legendary shooting guard was nothing but supportive of him.Now, all these years later, former Lakers guard Quin Cook told Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson an untold story of what may have been Bryant's last phone talk with LeBron:“We had an early bus, obviously, flying from Philly to LA,” Cook said. “Me and Bron get on the bus early, and I don’t know if Bron’s ever told this story, but Bron was talking to Kobe that morning."Cook added that the two Hall of Famers chatted for a while, and while he didn't listen to what Bryant was saying, he did realize how happy he was for him because of the way he talked: “I heard Kobe’s voice talking. When they talked before, before it was cameras around so they couldn’t get as personal as they want," Cook said. "But they were on the phone for maybe three to four minutes that morning coming back from Philly, and they were talking, and Kobe was just so happy for him.”Bryant was the ultimate competitor, but he also acknowledged his peers. Also, even if James was inching closer to his fifth championship, he's a Laker first and foremost. LeBron James talks about retirement againIt's been almost a decade since Bryant's last game, and the end might be coming soon for James as well.Nevertheless, as much as this could be his last year in the league, the four-time NBA champion doesn't want to give it that much thought:“I’m excited about today,” James said at media day. “I’m excited about the opportunity to be able to play the game that I love for another season. However the journey lays out this year, I’m super-invested, because I don’t know when the end is. I know it’s a lot sooner than later.”At the end of the day, James doesn't have anything else to prove at this point in his career. And while he still has his fair share of detractors, he deserves all the credit in the world for being able to play at the highest level for 23 years and counting.