In Photos: Jaylen Brown honors Kobe Bryant and Gigi Bryant with basketball court & mural in Boston

Kobe Bryant was a titanic figure in the NBA who impacted generations of basketball players all across the globe. He still remains a legend among the current stars and Jaylen Brown is no different. The Boston Celtics star dedicated a basketball court to Kobe and Gigi Bryant at the Roxbury Boys & Girls Club in Boston. Brown dedicated the basketball court on the eve of his 27th birthday on 24 October.

Brown is currently the longest-serving Celtic player and has previously acknowledged the influence Bryant had on him. He previously said he used 'Mamba Mentality' during his 2019-2020 season. Despite the vitriolic rivalry between the Lakers and the Celtics, Kobe's influence on Brown and Jayson Tatum was just another testament to his influence on the game.

Bryant’s influence on basketball and the young generation transcended beyond the court of basketball. Kobe Bryant had an unwavering work ethic and he was relentlessly committed to improving himself. He embodied the “Mamba Mentality” like no other and continued to be the best version of himself.

A soft spot and respect for Bryant in Brown’s heart is going to add to the former's legacy in Boston. The basketball court that Brown has built in Beantown is the perfect spot to pay tribute to the five-time NBA champion, knowing that Bryant’s middle name was also Bean. Brown’s act is just a testament to the fact that Bryant's greatness perhaps erased the enemy lines between Green and Gold.

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When Shaquille O'Neal said he amplified his beef with Kobe Bryant for marketing

Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal are still considered one of the greatest duos to have featured in the NBA. However, they were also involved in one of the most controversial feuds that ever took place between two superstars.

Speaking on the Full Send podcast in 2021, O'Neal made a shocking revelation about their feud, saying that the intensity of the rivalry that the media reported existed only in the media and not in the locker room. He said that he deliberately amplified it for marketing purposes.

"I amplified it outside the locker room because I understood marketing. ‘He doesn't like me, and I don't like him,’ and everyone started talking about us," he said. "That's all I wanted. It snowballed to an extent where people started believing it. You think we win 3 out of 4?"

Bryant and O'Neal became the most feared duo in the league in the early 2000s. They won three back-to-back championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. After their loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2003-04 NBA Finals, Shaq was eventually traded to the Miami Heat in light of their feud. However, both mended their relationship before Kobe Bryant’s untimely death in 2020.