Watch: Former OU Star Buddy Hield Meets Kobe Bryant in 2016
It’s been a tragic day in not just the sports world, but across the country and globe, as we mourn the loss of former NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi in a helicopter crash in Los Angeles.
As the world reacts, this moment with a former Big 12 star, Oklahoma guard Buddy Hield, was one to appreciate and enjoy.
OU Assistant AD Mike Houck shared the video on Twitter on Sunday night of Hield, a huge Kobe fan, getting to meet him for the first time after the Sooners beat Texas A&M in the 2016 Sweet 16.
Here’s the video.
Never met a bigger Kobe fan than @buddyhield. If you knew Buddy when he was at OU, you know Kobe was his idol. Buddy COULD NOT WAIT to meet him after Sweet 16 win over A&M in ‘16, and scored 37 vs. Oregon two days later with Kobe in stands again. Really nice moment here. #RIPKobe pic.twitter.com/sDnc7nOtLH
— Mike Houck (@mhouckOU) January 27, 2020
Hield is currently playing for the Sacremento Kings. He is in his fourth season in the NBA and averages 20 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.
According to the OU Daily, after Hield was drafted No. 6 overall by the New Orleans Pelicans in the 2016 NBA Draft, he said Kobe texted him and gave him some career advice.
“It doesn’t matter where you go,” Bryant wrote. “It matters more what you do when you get there. Just go there and work.”
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