Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Neymar and Lionel Messi may each have legions of fans, but the superstars are big fans of each other, too. That all-star fandom was particularly evident this week when the group couldn’t stop complimenting each other on TV and social media.

The reason Bryant got a lot of love is obvious. After announcing his retirement on Sunday in a poem reminiscent of Michael Jordan’s famous retirement letter to basketball, athletes from all over thanked him for his contribution to the sport. Messi’s was one of the most high profile, and not only because he put it on Instagram where he has more than 30 million followers from around the world. It was also because he credited Bryant with getting him to love basketball.

Bryant on retirement: ‘There’s so much beauty in the pain of this thing’

Speaking of Messi’s 30 million Instagram followers, Steph Curry had some compliments to dole out to the 28-year-old Argentine about that popularity on Thursday. In a short video, he also offered tickets to a game for Messi and held up an autographed jersey with the number 30 on it.

Curry’s hair looks nice, doesn’t it? Neymar sure thinks so! On Wednesday, he gushed over the Golden State Warriors star’s look and said his current hairstyle is modeled after the 27-year-old’s.

Neymar’s appearance on FIFA Ballon d’Or short list is a big step for soccer

“I hadn’t used that hairstyle since 2009,” Neymar told Brazil’s Globo (via CBS Sports). “Stephen Curry style.”

(Albert Gea/Reuters)

Eh, close enough. Much closer than the nearly 6,000 miles of land and ocean that separates Spain from California. Despite the distance, though, this chumminess between Spanish soccer and West Coast basketball has been going on for years. Need proof? Well then we might as well complete the circle and have Kobe show us.
That’s Neymar in the lower left. And who can forget this ad from 2013?

“I have been following the side for 10 years,” Bryant said this summer when Barcelona traveled to Los Angeles for an exhibition game, revealed during a meeting with the players at the StubHub Center in Los Angeles. “I love watching Messi, [Andres] Iniesta and the rest of the squad.”

Bryant said he hasn’t yet had a chance to watch Barca at their hometown stadium Camp Nou, but says it’s one of his lifelong dreams. Seems worthy of a post-retirement trip, right?

Kyrie Irving still wants his 1-on-1 game with Kobe Bryant

Back in the summer of 2012, Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving was on the national select team that scrimmaged against the Team USA Olympic basketball team. Fresh off his rookie season, the opportunity gave Irving a valuable opportunity to be around some of the best players in the world, including one of his childhood idols, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant.

“I challenged Kobe one-on-one and the video kind of went viral,” Irving said. “From that point on, every time we played since I was a rookie, I was just trying to earn his respect. Guys that have come before me, I never forget their groundwork -- even guys that have come before Kobe that allowed him to leave a legacy on this game that will last forever.”

“Never came up,” Irving said. “I think I would do it now though. He would still go at me and it would be good.”

Irving and Bryant formed a quick bond, and a video of Irving challenging Bryant to a game of one-on-one went viral. In the video, Bryant claimed Irving should call his father and ask if he thought it was a good idea to play Bryant one-on-one for $50,000, while Irving claimed Bryant would have to play defense, which he said Bryant couldn't do. The two then agreed to play one-on-one in the summer of 2013.

The game never happened, though, because Bryant tore his Achilles in April 2013. Still, that hasn't stopped the two from staying in contact and becoming better friends, given their mutual respect and admiration for each other's offensive game and competitiveness, according to ESPN:

Though Irving says the one-on-one game hasn't been rediscussed yet, with Bryant set to retire at the end of this season, Irving wants the matchup NBA fans have been waiting years for:

The ball's in your court, Kobe.

E-commerce, a slam-dunk for Kobe Bryant in China

A video clip of Kobe Bryant trying to learn Chinese internet slang has had hundreds of thousands of hits in the last two months.

The NBA star told Xinhua that he was learning Chinese to understand comments left by customers at his new Taobao store Kobe Incorporated on Alibaba.

Bryant is just one of many overseas celebrities starting online businesses in China. Alibaba, the world's biggest shopping portal, has recruited some 100,000 celebrities to promote products for some of its 10 million vendors across its two main sites, Taobao and TMall.

Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant Gets The Veteran He Needs

Kobe Bryant has always been a tough-minded leader, pushing his teammates to the limit just as he would himself. He has had his fair share of run-ins with teammates in the past, but has also won five championships that prove he is a winner. Now, he finds himself in a difficult situation with a young Los Angeles Lakers‘ roster that has struggled in recent years. They have added some veterans in free agency, but Metta World Peace may be the one who can bridge the gap between Bryant and the rest of the team.

The Lakers may not be championship contenders, but you can expect Bryant to give it his all every game and try to will his team to the playoffs. This includes motivating the younger players, who are still developing and adapting to the professional game. It is easy to say things will go well before the season starts, but if the losses start piling up, things could go bad very quickly.

Adding World Peace to the training camp roster is a good move with an eye on the future. World Peace is no longer the defensive menace that he once was, but he is a hard-worker who has had his share of ups and downs in the league. He has won a championship with Bryant, and could possibly be the veteran presence that the team needs in the locker room.

The younger players will need someone to go to when things are not going well during the season, and World Peace has matured significantly since entering the league. He can help them with the little things to become successful, as well as making sure that tensions do not get out of hand between teammates. He is an intimidating presence who can push teammates but can also be a helping hand as well. If he can make the roster, he could be a valuable member of the team even if his floor contributions are not as great as they once were.

Kobe Bryant Steals High-Five From Draymond Green in "NBA 2K16"

If you're on the fence about getting NBA 2K16, let's just go ahead and sway you in one direction. In addition to witnessing the Chris Bosh videobomb, you can see Kobe Bryant being an asshole (this is a compliment, by the way) to the opposing team.

Just look at how Bryant steps in after Harrison Barnes makes a free throw and steals a high-five away from Draymond Green. 

To recap, the graphics are nice, the gameplay is solid and they got Kobe being Kobe to a T. Meanwhile, over at NBA Live 16, Kevin Love is doing wacky shit like this. 

Jackson doesn’t expect Kobe to retire after season

GREENBURGH NEW YORK – Phil Jackson doubts this is Kobe Bryant’s final season — though thinks it may be Bryant’s last in Los Angeles.

With Bryant going into the last season of his contract and coming off a couple of injury-shortened seasons, his future will be among the biggest questions around the NBA this season.

“I don’t think it’s his last year,” Jackson said Friday. “Sounds like it may be his last year as a Laker, but I think that’s kind of what came out of there.”

Jackson, who coached Bryant to five NBA championships with the Lakers, is now the Knicks’ president of basketball operations. He said he sent Bryant a message last month for his 37th birthday.

Bryant has played his entire career with the Lakers after they acquired his rights from Charlotte in the 1996 draft. He was limited to six games in 2013-14 because of Achilles and knee injuries, and made it through only 35 last season before shoulder surgery.

He isn’t expected to decide on his future until after this season. The Lakers are planning how they will monitor Bryant’s minutes in his 20th season.

Jackson said great players such as Bryant and Michael Jordan, who teamed with him for six championships in Chicago, can still handle the speed of the game as they get older, but “your body fails you.”

“That’s the denominator there. It’s kind of a comeuppance from God or from age,” Jackson said. “With Kobe, he’s had two seasons (that) have been aborted because of injuries. I think he’s going to be really better than people think, and I think there will still be a future for him as he goes through this season and into next year, where people are going to ask, ‘Do you still want to play basketball?’ So we’ll see how it goes.”

Bryant is the NBA’s No. 3 career scorer, and there would likely be interest if he wants to play on — perhaps even from the Knicks. Jackson is rebuilding a club that went 17-65 last season and could use scoring help beyond Carmelo Anthony.

Jackson left the Lakers and coaching after the 2010-11 season, though maintains a nearby home and is engaged to Lakers president Jeanie Buss. Knicks coach Derek Fisher, Bryant’s longtime teammate, shook his head and said “nah” when he and Jackson were asked if they thought this would be Bryant’s farewell.

“I just want him to be healthy, basically, and then go from there,” Fisher said. “I personally wouldn’t like this to be his last year playing basketball. I don’t think that the game of basketball deserves for him not to play.”

Paul Pierce jokes that Kobe Bryant can't accept reduced role with Lakers

At 37 years old, Kobe Bryant's competitiveness has shown no signs of slowing down. However while his mind is telling him one thing, Bryant's body seems to be telling him the exact opposite. With his last three seasons ending in injury, Lakers head coach Byron Scott is considering limiting Bryant's minutes next season however, GM Mitch Kupchak has said that “there hasn't been any formal discussions” about it yet. One thing is clear though, Bryant's career is slowly winding down, a fact that his NBA colleague Paul Pierce doesn't think the Lakers star has grasped yet.

Appearing on the Fred Roggin Show on the Beast 980 in Los Angeles, Pierce joked that that Bryant has not been willing to accept a reduced role, something that he himself is willing to do with the Clippers.

Pierce is well aware that his career is coming to an end so he has been willing to accept a smaller role in his brief stint in Washington and now with the Clippers. He knows thatWesley Johnson may start over him and Pierce has already said that if the Clippers win the championship this season, he will retire. But while Pierce's fake coughing is a clear indication that he was joking, he does have a point about Bryant.

Some people like Phil Jackson, believe that Bryant will continue to play after this season. That is certainly possible but with his recent spate of season-ending injuries, Bryant can't push himself past his limit again. The success of the Lakers largely depends on their young core of Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson, so if Bryant wants to "shock da world" by making the playoffs this season, he may need to follow Pierce's lead and accept a reduced role.

H/T: PBT

Kobe Bryant may want to listen to Paul Pierce. (USATSI)