Similar to Moore, Durant received an encouraging message of his own the night he tore his Achilles – a text from Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba tore his Achilles in 2013 at age 34 and famously stayed in the game to shoot a pair of free throws before limping off the court. “Don’t be a f—— crybaby,” Durant said of Bryant’s message. “It’s going to be all right. You’re going to come back and be who you are.” Bryant stayed on Durant days afterward and discussed people to work with and certain physical therapies. But Durant said Bryant’s advice was just that – advice. Durant went on his own from there. “When my mind was racing everywhere, it was good to hear from him,” Durant said. “Especially him going through it later in his career.”
