Bill Belichick Has 'A Ton Of Respect' For Kobe Bryant
BOSTON (CBS) -- Kobe Bryant may be an enemy in the Boston area, but he was a welcomed guest in Foxboro on Wednesday.
The retired Lakers star was at the Patriots' OTA session at Gillette Stadium, a special guest of Bill Belichick. The Pats head coach usually hosts a slew of guests ahead of the season, so it's not too out of the ordinary for someone like Bryant to be on the sideline as the Patriots put in some work (or as Bryant would say, "Doin' Work").
Belichick discussed Bryant's visit during his Thursday chat with the media, and said the future Hall of Famer offered up a lot of great observations.
"I have a ton of respect for Kobe," Belichick told reporters at Gillette. "Obviously a great player who had a great career. I spent the day with him yesterday and he had a lot of great observations and things we could learn from. He's just a tremendous guy."
Patriots safety Devin McCourty wouldn't share what Bryant told the team, but said he enjoyed chatting hearing what he had to say.
"It was a great experience. The guy has done multiple great things in his career, and any time you get to talk to a guy like that is great. Just him sharing whatever came to mind, to me, it was awesome," said McCourty. "I've ever been a huge Kobe fan, but you walk away with a certain level of admiration. I text a bunch of people after that Kobe could easily be my favorite player.
"I think we got to learn a great deal from him," McCourty added.
It's difficult to think about Belichick welcoming a Laker with open arms, especially one who was often a thorn in the Celtics' side and led Los Angeles to a title over the Green. But as long Belichick doesn't start supporting the purple and gold, most New England fans will let a quick visit from Kobe slide.