Nick Kyrgios recently shared the impact that the late NBA legend Kobe Bryant's demise had on his career.
Kyrgios is a massive basketball fan and currently co-owns NBL's South East Melbourne Phoenix. Last year, when he went to watch one of their matches from inside the venue, he called it "the stuff of a movie," underlining his pride in making a sound business investment.
In the past, the mercurial Australian revealed that he considered a career in basketball while growing up but holds no regrets about becoming a tennis pro. Kyrgios has had a career that he can be proud of despite some tough setbacks.
The 28-year-old has battled bouts of depression in the past and was even offered some counseling by former World No. 1 Andy Murray after causing self-harm. He has also contemplated his long-term future in the midst of his current lengthy injury layoff but is determined to return to the circuit.
In his time away from the sport, Kyrgios has found a passion for podcasting and punditry. He hosts the Good Trouble With Nick Kyrgios podcast. In his latest episode, Kyrgios shared the influence that Bryant's death had on his customary pre-match routine of listening to music while walking on the court.
"Usually at the point of my career, I was walking out with headphones, and that day, I had my headphones on but I didn't play any music. So I was walking through the tunnel with Rafa behind me, I walked out and I had the Kobe jersey on and it was all bluff, my headphones were a bluff, I listened to the crowd going nuts."
"That’s one thing that I remember about that day is that I never listened to music again before I walked out because I loved how much Kobe, obviously, had left behind but the crowd was so loud when I walked out and I always wanted to remember hearing how much athletes like us…we are appreciated when we walk out in the stadium."
In January 2020, Bryant and his 13-year-old daughter Gianna were among nine people who perished in a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California. Kyrgios, who was competing at the Australian Open at the time, was scheduled to face Rafael Nadal in the fourth round.
The one-time Wimbledon finalist walked onto the court to rapturous applause but was visibly shaken by the news as he fought back the tears. Kyrgios paid tribute to Bryant by donning a Los Angeles Lakers jersey with the American's No. 8 on the back.