After the tragic death of NBA legend and big football fan Kobe Bryant on Sunday, here is a reminder of what he said about legends Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in one of his final interviews before his untimely passing.
Basketball and the extended world of sport lost an icon when a helicopter carrying 41-year-old Bryant, one of his four daughters and seven other people crashed in Los Angeles, California on Sunday.
Many footballers, including the likes of Neymar, Paul Pogba and Marcus Rashford took to Instagram to mourn the loss of the legendary Los Angeles Lakers player, as well as Messi and Ronaldo, who Bryant himself was a huge fan of.
As pointed out by International Business Times, the retired professional discussed the two footballing superstars in one of his last interviews before his passing, praising them both as incredible athletes.
"Well, I think he's (Messi) one of the best athletes of all time," he recently told CNN.
"The tenacity, the intelligence with which he plays as well as skill puts him head and shoulders above the rest.
"And Cristiano (Ronaldo) is right there with him," he added.
Bryant was known to be a big football fan, and developed close relationships with many players over the years, including Messi, Ronaldinho and Neymar, who honoured the late NBA star with his most recent goal celebration.
