JJ Redick Says Kobe Bryant’s Death Inspired Him To Do Podcast With LeBron James

Former NBA guard and current ESPN analyst JJ Redick said Kobe Bryant‘s death inspired him to do a podcast with LeBron James. 

Bryant tragically passed away in January 2020 in a helicopter crash.

“This is an opportunity for any basketball fan to listen to one of the greatest players ever talk about the game of basketball,” Redick said during an interview on The Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz. “We saw that for a few years with Kobe. And god rest his soul, him being gone, there’s a void there. How many of the [other] all-time greats are talking about the game? I don’t know if there’s anybody.”

Redick and LeBron’s podcast is called “Mind the Game.” LeBron is one of the greatest players in NBA history. He’s also one of the smartest players of all time. 

“I’ve always had a deep appreciation of LeBron and the mental side of his game,” Redick said. “These guys think the game and they court-map the game at a different level. And there are certain coaches now that I get to interview now before games … these guys think about this differently. There’s a lot of joy that I get out of that.”

Bryant and LeBron are two of the best players in NBA history. The two basketball legends have combined to win nine titles, six Finals MVPs, five regular-season MVPs and seven All-Star Game MVPs.

Bryant won five championships during his legendary run with the Lakers. Meanwhile, LeBron has won four rings with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and Lakers.

Bryant spent his entire career with the Lakers. He averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.5 blocks in 1,346 regular-season games with Los Angeles. 

Bryant was an 18-time All-Star, five-time champion, four-time All-Star Game MVP, two-time Finals MVP, two-time scoring champion, 15-time All-NBA Team member, 12-time All-Defensive Team member and the 2007-08 MVP.

LeBron became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer last season. He has career averages of 27.1 points, 7.5 rebounds, 7.4 assists, 1.5 steals and 0.7 blocks with the Cavaliers, Heat and Lakers.

LeBron is a 20-time All-Star, four-time champion, three-time All-Star Game MVP, four-time Finals MVP, one-time scoring champion, one-time assists champion, 19-time All-NBA team member, six-time All-Defensive team member and four-time regular-season MVP.