Kobe Bryant: Sports world praises Lakers legend before jersey retirement

Dec. 18 (UPI) -- Current and former athletes wrote messages to Kobe Bryant Monday, the day he is set to have two jerseys retired by the Los Angeles Lakers.

The NBA posted a video tribute on Sunday night. That footage featured clips from throughout Bryant's notorious career.

NBA stars including Chris Paul, Paul George, Pau Gasol, Kevin Durant, LeBron James and others discussed the future basketball Hall of Famer in the clip.

"Kobe, the road has come to an end," George said. "You've been an unbelievable mentor to me."

"There are not a lot of guys who come around like Kobe," Paul said. "The game is going to miss you."

"Kobe you did all you could for the game and being a champion forever. A walking legend man. We appreciate you," Durant said.

"Kobe Bean, salute my brother," James said.

Bryant's legendary teammate, Shaquille O'Neal also posted a message for Bryant.

"Congrats @kobebryant," Shaq posted on social media. "Much deserved. See you tonight my brother! #greatestlakerofalltime."

Bryant and O'Neal won three consecutive NBA titles from the 1999 to 2001 seasons.

Legendary coach Phil Jackson posted a message for Bryant, explaining the bar to be called the GOAT (Greatest of All Time).

"Congratulations Kobe Bryant! Hail Momba, too," Jackson said. "Two Jersey's retired is one way to measure your impact for the Lakers. The GOAT measure is [five trophy emojis]."

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who played under Phil Jackson as Michael Jordan's teammate, explained the similarities between Jordan and Kobe.

"Kobe has the same mindset and mentality that MJ had," Kerr told reporters, according to the San Jose Mercury News. "The assassin. The 'I'm gonna rip your throat out with my scoring.' Low post dominant fadeaway jumper, footwork."

Bryant was dominant for most of his career, regardless of when he wore No. 8 or No. 24. While some social media users wanted to decide which Kobe was better, Bryant inserted his opinion into the debate.

"Different animal, same beast," he tweeted Monday.

"As a kid growing up in Italy, I always dreamed of my jersey hanging in the Lakers rafters, but I certainly never imagined two of them," Bryant said in September in a Lakers news release. "The Lakers have bestowed a huge honor on me and I'm grateful for the fans' enthusiasm around this game."

Bryant is the tenth player in Lakers history to have his jersey retired.

The Lakers are hosting Kerr's Warriors at 10:30 p.m. Monday at the Staples Center. The average ticket price to attend the game was at $579.58 as of Monday morning, according to TickPick. The average listing price for the game is down 9.1 percent since Friday with 42 percent of TickPick's orders coming between Friday and Monday.