MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American Jordan Clarkson of the Utah Jazz finally broke his silence on the death of Los Angeles Lakers star and former teammate Kobe Bean Bryant.
Clarkson, who was with Bryant in the Lakers from 2014 to the latter's retirement in 2016, spoke out in the Uninterrupted podcast months after the Lakers great's passing.
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"I still don't feel like... I don't feel like he's gone," Clarkson said.
"I still think he gonna come down from them Calabasas Hills and just like walk out of there. I ain't really accepted it yet. I ain't really answer no questions on it either," he added.
Drafted in 2014, Clarkson attributed his longetivity in the league to the things he learned under Bryant's wing in his time with the Lakers.
"I mean he's been one of the reasons, like, my career has lasted so long," he said.
The 27-year-old recalled where he was on the day that he found out the tragic news. He narrated being in denial of losing the 41-year-old Bryant.
"I remember when it happened, I was at Utah, I was on the training table about to get ready for practice. And I'm sitting there like, man, hell nah. N**** ain't dead," he said.
"I start texting security, I start texting everybody. They like, Nah, JC, it's real. I'm thinking its fake as hell. That's like an every day routine for him though, that's like us getting in the car," he added.
Bryant, along with his daughter Gianna and seven others, passed away in a tragic helicopter crash last January 26 (January 27, Manila time) in Calabasas, California.
Bryant and the rest of the passengers were on their way to a Mamba Sports Academy basketball game when the crash happened.