ESPN 30 for 30 ‘Be Water’: how Bruce Lee inspired the NBA, from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to Kobe Bryant
- Abdul-Jabbar among the stars to reflect on Lee’s life in new documentary, ‘Be Water’, screened on Sunday as part of ESPN’s 30 for 30 series
- LeBron James has Lee’s words posted in his locker, while the late Bryant told the Post in 2017 ‘I really looked up to Bruce’
Bruce Lee’s influence continues to resonate across the global sporting landscape but the connection the man had, and continues to have, within the NBA is among the remarkable aspects of his lasting legacy.
It all started with the friendship the martial arts master forged with the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, but the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Kyrie Irving have all turned to Lee for inspiration.
Abdul-Jabbar once revealed to the Post he thought Lee continued to influence and inspire because his teachings spoke of life’s struggles, and how to overcome them, and his films presented common-man characters doing exactly the same things.
“He always identified with the Chinese people and they recognised that, the common people. They identified with what he was doing” Abdul-Jabbar said. “Being a black American there were similarities in the way we saw things and we became friends.”
