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WATCH: Hailey Van Lith curses, invokes Kobe in epic post-game moment following Elite Eight win

by:Austin Brezina•03/28/22•

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Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

After Louisville took down Michigan to advance to the Final Four, star guard Hailey Van Lith thought about what her friend Kobe Bryant would tell her. The young star met the late Kobe Bryant and his daughter, Gianna (Gigi) Bryant, after he had reached out to her during her high school playing days. Bryant had become a fan of her game and wanted her to meet his daughter so she could have another role model in the sport to follow.

Warning: The following video contains explicit language.

Hailey Van Lith on her relationship with Kobe

After the win, Van Lith was asked what advice she felt Bryant would give her if he and his daughter could see her reach the Final Four — and Van Lith’s answer captured the spirit and competitiveness of the NBA legend.

“He would say go [f’in] win this shit Hailey,” answered Van Lith, smiling and trying to censor her own words on live television. “That’s what he would say. We not done, that’s what he would say right there.”

Van Lith’s story about meeting Bryant is an incredible one, as she comes from a town of only 3,152 people in Cashmere, Washington. In high school she drew eyes as one of the top prospects in the nation, but was not expecting to receive a text from a member of Bryant’s circle.

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“The text was from one of Kobe’s main guys — I called him ‘T,’ and he just basically said that Kobe knew about me, loved my game and really wanted to get me to L.A. to work with him and talk about basketball,” Hailey said in an interview with The Los Angeles Times.

“I couldn’t believe it, that he actually knew who I was and thought I was a good player. When I later asked him, ‘Why me?’ he basically said the way I play, my work ethic and mentality on the court, reminded him of himself, and it compelled him to reach out to me.”

Bryant wanted his daughter to meet Van Lith, as she was a fantastic role model for his daughter as she became a star in her own right. Bryant also wanted to meet and speak with Van Lith’s father, asking for advice on how he managed to help his daughter become one of the best players in the nation.