by Janell Hazelwood

December 18, 2015

[WATCH] Icons Connect: Kobe Bryant Meets 1st Black Player for Minneapolis Lakers

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Recently, Kobe Bryant–one of the greatest athletes of all time who is in his last season as a professional basketball player–met Bob Williams, the first black player for the Minneapolis Lakers. They both have iconic legacies with the franchise.

[Related: Kobe Bryant Gives Basketball His Dear John Letter]

Williams was a member of the Minneapolis Lakers in the mid-1950s and was the first African American player on the team. He and his wife, Marietta, spent some time talking with soon-to-be-retired Kobe Bryant at a Minneapolis game.

“It was awesome for me to talk to him even though I was 40 years before him,” Williams told CBS Minneapolis. “He said it was an honor to meet me.”

Williams, who settled in the city after his basketball career, co-founded the Fellowship for Christian Athletes and remained a Lakers fan after the team left the city for Los Angeles.

“Once a Laker, you are always a Laker,” he added.

Watch footage below of the two meeting via CBS Minneapolis: