There was absolutely nothing that was going to get in the way of Hailey Van Lith and the Louisville Cardinals moving on to the Final Four on Monday night. Nothing.
That was made clear in the amazing interview Van Lith gave after the Cardinals beat Michigan to advance where she channeled her inner Kobe Bryant.
Van Lith was close with both Kobe and Gigi Bryant. She’d trained with them after Kobe invited her and her dad — who is also her trainer — out to LA to work with the Mamba team. They’d grown closer through their time together before Kobe and Gigi tragically passed away.
In her postgame interview, Van Lith was asked about what Kobe would say to her at that moment. Her response was absolutely incredible.
Louisville's Hailey Van Lith was friends with Gigi & Kobe Bryant: "He would say go f***ing win this sh*t Hailey" pic.twitter.com/0XYsfDChlz
— CJ Fogler AKA Perc70 #BlackLivesMatter (@cjzero) March 29, 2022
“He would say go f***ing win this s**t, Hailey. That’s what he would say. We’re not done. That’s what he would say right there.”
Definitely sounds like a thing Kobe would say, honestly. I’m not sure how much time they actually spent together but it’s very, very clear she knew Bryant and his family well.
What a cool moment. We know what type of time Van Lith is on for the Final Four. Everyone else better be ready.
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