There are only a handful who even deserve to be in the conversation with Kobe Bryant.

One of them is fellow Laker Jerry West, and it was West as GM who brought Kobe to L.

A trading for him on draft night in 1996.

West saw the potential.

Others did not few in the game.

New Kobe.

Better as a player and as a person when I was an emperor on my way up here, and people come up to me and say, Hey, do you play basketball?

And I said, Yeah, I play basketball and I said, Well, what team do you play for?

I used to say a little Mary high school.

So I'm like, Well, I played for long.

Very hot.

No, You know what?

I'm in Los Angeles.

Lakers on Kobe.

Uh, for you.

People always ask me about him.

How do you know he was going to turn out like he did?

Anyone could have seen this if they had paid attention.

Anyone?

So you say he Anyone could have seen it, but not everyone did.

So what struck you about him Then when he was 17 years old.

Hey, was different.

Okay?

You could see it.

You could feel it.

Way honestly felt that he was the number one player taking in the draft, and it was a good players there.

And Allen Iverson with the first pick in the draft.

But I just thought he was better.

Now, hey, get a shot for himself.

Any time he wants in the MBA, even in the NBA, he'll be able to create shots, see?

Well, yes, he will.

Yes, he will.

How would you describe?

You know what you meant to him earlier on where you like the favorite uncle?

Were you like a second dad?

In some respects, I really felt like I was a baby sitter for him.

Honestly, you know, I wasn't gonna let him take a wrong step.

Um, you know, he would come over to our house and have dinner in a very much like, you know, a high school senior that he waas e really felt like that.

I was kind of a surrogate father to him.

I did.

We were gonna watch over him and care for him.

Just like a mother and father would dio knowledge of Jerry West this hobby, that knowledge, I view the knowledge is being like kind of like a golden treasure.

I think that only if you're lucky enough you get a chance Thio here, that knowledge and the knowledge that they can share with you.

So that's how I treated Kobe was such, ah, student of the game.

He knew so much about the history of the game that I'm curious to know how he felt about you and your place in the history of basketball.

Oh, really?

We had some unbelievable conversations.

I don't think you repeat the language on the air.

E used to tell him all the time.

I said, You know, you foul too much.

I said You'd be LV game in no time if you're guarding May I said, you know the snake, the Black Mamba Hey said Yeah, and I said So that's your the black mom.

But he said Yes, E said.

You ever hear of Mongoose?

E said.

I'm a mongoose and they kill everybody mambo, and you can look on YouTube and see these things fighting and the mongoose wins every time.

And he said, he said I'm not an ordinary mamba.

I said.

Well, I'm not an ordinary mongoose either.

On.

And I have a picture of that today in my house.

I'm in a coat and tie and he's in a Laker uniform.

Really?

Good.

Good luck.

Thank you.

All right.

But he likes done especially one.

If you allow me.

I'm gonna read a quote from Kobe.

And this is a quote from him on how he wanted to be remembered.

It's the one thing that you can control.

You are responsible for how people remember you or don't.

So don't take it lightly.

If you do it right, your game will live on in others.

So leave everything on the court, leave the game better than you found it.

And when it comes time for you to leave, leave a legend.

Well, hey did exactly that.

How many people could do that?

There's not many legends out there there if you wanna bees.

But they're not really these iconic figures that stand above the rest.

He's going up to try to remember him properly.

I don't know how anyone else does.

I know how I did.

I loved him like a son.

I admired his talent.

Leaders don't come along very often.

And when someone of his caliber leaves far too young, it takes a toll on a lot of people and particularly people who cared about him a lot.

Thanks for watching ESPN on YouTube for live streaming sports and premium content subscribed to ESPN plus right now.