At first thought the pairing of the Los Angeles Lakers Kobe Bryant and New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick might sound odd. Then again, both are considered amongst the best ever at their occupation. Both have a borderline maniacal obsession with winning. Neither are known to suffer fools gladly.
Bryant recently told a story about meeting Belichick after the Lakers' Game 6 NBA Finals loss in Boston in 2008.
"I'm sitting there on the bench, just beside myself, burning with frustration, and I look over and Bill Belichick is walking towards me," Bryant told ESPN Boston, via the Boston Herald. "I had never met him. Never spoken to him. He had courtside seats across from our bench, and with 20 seconds left in the game, he came over and said, 'Don't you worry about this. I know what you are going through. We just lost a tough one ourselves. Just bounce back. Be ready next year.'
"He didn't have to say that. The clock was winding down, we were getting ready to walk off. I thought it was really cool. Respect across our professions."
The two have stayed in touch the last five years. Maybe Belichick has some suggestions on how to connect with Dwight Howard.
Follow Kareem Copeland on Twitter @kareemcopeland.
