“Basketball is my life”: Nick Kyrgios on why Kobe Bryant’s tragic death moved him to tears
An emotionally drained Nick Kyrgios was motivated by the tragic death of NBA legend Kobe Bryant to give it his absolute all against Rafael Nadal in their Australian Open grudge match.
The controversial figure was praised by fans and his opponent after he bowed out of the grand slam in a pulsating four setter at Melbourne’s Rod Laver Arena.
Kyrgios paid tribute to Bryant before and after the match, which was played only a few short hours after he died in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles, shocking the entire world.
The 24-year-old, who is a huge basketball fan, was visibly emotional as he walked onto Rod Laver Arena wearing Bryant’s LA Lakers jersey in tribute to the star.
With Bryant’s famous number 8 emblazoned on his jersey, Kyrgios struggled to contain his emotions during the warm-up.
The Boston Celtics fan showed up to his post-match press conference after the loss in a Lakers jersey and was asked about the late sports star as soon as he sat down.
“I never met Kobe. But basketball is practically my life. I’ve been following it for as long as I can remember,” said Kyrgios.
“It was pretty emotional when I woke up to the news today. It was pretty heavy, like all day.
“Obviously I was having basketball on at my house, watching the games. It was heavy. Yeah, it’s just tough. It’s horrible news.”
He revealed Bryant inspired him to keep fighting in the fourth set where he looked down and out against the world number one.
Kyrgios clawed his way back and forced the set into a tie-break, where he lost the match.
“If you look at the things he stood for, what he wanted to be remembered by, I felt like, if anything, it helped me tonight,” he said.
“When I was down a break in the fourth, I was definitely thinking about it. I fought back.”
Kyrgios then made the ultimate tribute to Bryant.
“I don’t think they make them like him anymore. He was different, the way he trained, the way he did things, the way he played. He was special,” he said.
“Just sad. Like, when I think about my life [it] is literally basketball. When I think about it, it’s heavy. It’s tough.”