Like many players across the league's landscape, Brooklyn Nets All-Star guard Kyrie Irving had a deep bond with late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Irving viewed the older Bryant as a mentor, and often went to him seeking advice on life, both on and off of the basketball court. Irving even notably called Bryant from Cleveland's locker room after the Cavaliers had won the NBA title in 2016. Thus, Irving was understandably shaken by Bryant's tragic and sudden death on Sunday. He didn't comment publicly for several days, but he finally addressed Bryant's death after the Nets' win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night. 

"It's an open wound," Irving said, via Yahoo. "I'm not the only one that's hurting. I don't wanna make this about me and our relationship because we all shared something really, really strong with him. There's a bond whether watching him or studying him. We all shared something."

Irving is a mercurial guy, and some of that is due to Bryant, as Irving explained how he felt at ease when going to Kobe for guidance, and how following in Bryant's footsteps helped to turn him into the man that he is today. 

"In some ancient texts it says when the student is ready, the teacher will appear," Irving said. "I had that type of mentorship relationship with him. I could ask him anything, no matter how nervous or how fearful I was. He was easy to approach with those type of questions with what goes on in a day-in and day-out basis on chasing something that's bigger than yourself. 

"When you're trying to leave a legacy or a mark on the game, there will come a lot of sacrifices and a lot of hate, a lot of love and a lot of balance you must create in your life ... He left a lot of teachings, a lot of bread crumbs, as I call them. And I just followed every single one of them. That probably pays a lot of focus into the person I am today. Just listening, seeing what he was creating. Seeing his daughter, Gigi, and opening doors in women's sports. We talked about it all the time. I wanted that same structure."  

Like several others before him, Irving credited Bryant for inspiring him to manifest his own greatness, and emphasized the fact that his relationship with Bryant extended well beyond the borders of basketball. 

"But it was what he helped you see inside of yourself. It wasn't the words. It was something inside you he knew was there but you had to tap into it," Irving said. "And he tapped into it all the time when was playing the game of basketball, when he was around his family. He's getting his just due and his legacy now, more than ever. You don't have to worry about anyone not being on Kob's side. I've been on Kob's side for a long time. That's what I remember, all encompassing our relationship. It's deeper than basketball."  

With five titles and numerous individual awards to his name, Bryant is one of the most decorated players in recent memory. However, equally as impressive as all the hardware is the impact that he was able to have on so many players, like Irving, from the next generation.