Long before Kobe Bryant grudgingly attended the Los Angeles Lakers' free agent pitch meetings for Dwight Howard in 2013 and LaMarcus Aldridge in 2014, he identified a rare talent who could eventually want to inherit the mantle Bryant left with the franchise.
Bryant was the elder statesman on the 2012 Olympic team that won a gold medal in London. Anthony Davis was its young buck. The best college player and recent No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft was added to the roster for his own basketball edification, though not expected to contribute much.