Game 7 memories from stars and celebs: Kobe Bryant stands out
Kobe Bryant.
Bryant played in only one Game 7 of a finals, that coming in 2010, but for plenty in the sports world his 23-point, 15-rebound effort that led the Los Angeles Lakers to an 83-79 win over the Boston Celtics for his fifth and final championship still stands out as the quintessential moment from ultimate games.
The NBA asked celebrities and star athletes what Game 7 makes them think of, and some of the responses got right to the point.
'Kobe,' soccer legend David Beckham said.
'What do I think?? I think Lakers 2010 — Pau (Gasol) and Kobe,' tennis star Carlos Alcaraz said.
Another tennis great, Novak Djokovic, said he thought of Lakers-Celtics in 2010 and the Cleveland-Golden State finale where LeBron James and Kyrie Irving came up big late for the Cavaliers in 2016.
'I'm thinking about electric atmosphere on the stands, no one is seated for the whole game,' Djokovic said. 'I'm thinking about Kobe and Gasol stellar performance in Game 7 of 2010 Lakers-Celtics and I'm thinking about LeBron's block and Irving's 3 pointer to seal the deal for Cavs vs Warriors Game 7 in 2016 thriller.'
Cavs-Warriors 2016 another memory
Part of the lore of the Cleveland-Golden State finale in 2016 wasn't just James getting a chase-down block against the Warriors' Andre Iguodala in the final moments. It was also ABC announcer Mike Breen's description of the call.
Tennis player Ben Shelton and Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua both remembered Breen's line perfectly: 'Blocked by James,' they both responded.
Other quotes
A selection of other responses collected by the NBA:
'Where legends are born.' — tennis' Frances Tiafoe.
'This is basketball, the game that everybody wants to watch. Can't wait !!!!!!!' — soccer star Kylian Mbappé.
''All eyes.' It's my stage.' — Colorado football coach and former NFL and MLB star Deion Sanders.
'GOAT TIME.' — NFL legend Jerry Rice.
'When I hear the words Game 7, I automatically think of the epic and legendary 3-pointer that Ray Allen made in Game 6 to force Game 7, where my Miami Heat team went on to win the NBA Finals championship.' — rapper Flo Rida.
'It's About to Go Down!!! Who will become legend? MJ, Kobe, Bron … who's next?' — Cedric the Entertainer.
Thursdays
Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter.
'Control what you can control mentality! I just wanted to make sure I did all the little things for my team.' — Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade.
'Everything you ever worked on and worked for is all in this one moment. Take it play by play … leave it all on the court.' — former Heat guard Mario Chalmers.
'Play into the emotion. Don't expect fair. Expect the unimaginable.' — Cleveland's Iman Shumpert, part of the 2016 Cavs win.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
an hour ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Sports scoreboard for Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025
Tuesday's Scoreboard MLB Interleague Toronto 5 Chicago Cubs 1 Cleveland 4 Miami 3 Kansas City 8 Washington 5 Arizona 3 Texas 2 L.A. Angels 7 L.A. Dodgers 6 (10 innings) American League Seattle 1 Baltimore 0 Boston 14 Houston 1 N.Y. Yankees 9 Minnesota 1 Chicago White Sox 9 Detroit 6 Athletics 6 Tampa Bay 0 National League Milwaukee 14 Pittsburgh 0 San Diego 5 San Francisco 1 Cincinnati 6 Philadelphia 1 N.Y. Mets 13 Atlanta 5 Colorado 3 St. Louis 0 — WNBA Dallas 81 Indiana 80 New York 105 Los Angeles 97 —
Toronto Star
3 hours ago
- Toronto Star
José Ramírez sets Cleveland record with 27th multihomer game, leads Guardians to 4-3 victory
CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez knew when he was 15 years old and growing up in the Dominican Republic that he could end up being a pretty good home-run hitter. Cleveland's All-Star third baseman has been better than good as he set another franchise record on Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins.
Winnipeg Free Press
3 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
José Ramírez sets Cleveland record with 27th multihomer game, leads Guardians to 4-3 victory
CLEVELAND (AP) — José Ramírez knew when he was 15 years old and growing up in the Dominican Republic that he could end up being a pretty good home-run hitter. Cleveland's All-Star third baseman has been better than good as he set another franchise record on Tuesday night against the Miami Marlins. Ramírez's line drive over the right-field wall in the eighth inning was his second of the night and his 27th multihome run game, surpassing Jim Thome and Albert Belle for the most in franchise history. The solo shot also gave the Guardians a 4-3 victory. Ramírez's accomplishment was flashed on the scoreboard at Progressive Field before the ninth inning as he ran to third base. He got a standing ovation from the 21,874 fans. 'It felt good. Obviously it's not easy to play the game and it's not an easy thing to do,' he said through an interpreter. 'But the important part is that we won and most importantly, I want to win. So that's the real feeling at the end.' After a 10-game losing streak had them at 40-48, the Guardians have gone an AL-best 22-8 since July 7 and are only one game out of the final wild-card spot. 'It always feels like he's going to deliver. Anytime he's up at any point in the game, you make sure you're watching,' Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. 'Such a special night for him and his family.' Ramírez's 27 multihomer games since entering the majors on Sept. 1, 2013, are tied for eighth-most in the majors according to Sportradar. Yankees' slugger Aaron Judge, who made his big-league debut in 2016, has the most with 44. 'He's our dad taking care of us. He's putting his team on the back doing what he does,' All-Star left fielder Steven Kwan said. 'I mean, people don't have 54 homers in their whole career and he is doing it and obviously 27 games, which is just crazy. It's special.' Ramírez was 2 for 25 on the Guardians' six-game road trip and broke out of a 0-for-12 skid when he drove a low changeup from Miami starter Janson Junk into the stands in right-center to put Cleveland up 1-0 in the first inning. Thursdays Keep up to date on sports with Mike McIntyre's weekly newsletter. Of his 25 homers this season, 13 have come with two out, which is third in the majors. On Aug. 1, Ramírez became the first major league player who primarily plays third base to have at least 275 home runs and 275 stolen bases. Besides multihomer games, he holds the Cleveland franchise records for career home runs by a third baseman (230) and career home runs by a switch hitter. 'I knew maybe I don't have the power, but I have quick hands and fast hands when hitting. So I knew I had to learn how to hit homers. I knew I could. I just needed time to learn how to execute it,' Ramírez said about growing up. ___ AP MLB:
