Former NBA player Tim Thomas shared a story about Kobe Bryant helping his family during a California wildfire that forced them to temporarily leave their home.
Thomas revealed that Bryant arranged to cover his expenses throughout the Los Angeles area for approximately two weeks, including a restaurant bill of nearly $700.
Speaking about their relationship, Thomas explained that their connection dated back to their younger years, when they played AAU basketball together before entering the NBA as members of the 1996 draft class.
“Man, it’s crazy. When I got in the league, I bought a house in Bryn Mawr, right? Which is five minutes from Villanova. So Lower Merion is right there. I used to see his moms and stuff at the grocery store. Obviously, we played AAU basketball together. We had our fun times with that. Got a chance to compete against each other in the league, in playoff series, all of that.”
Thomas also recalled living in Calabasas, near the location of the 2020 helicopter crash that killed Bryant, and described how their relationship continued beyond basketball.
“Obviously, I lived in Calabasas. The accident happened right there. So I just felt like our connection has always been there. You know what I mean? ’96 class, all of that. But in California, they get those fires all the time. So it was one of those real bad ones. We go down to Newport Beach with the family to get out of the house. Might lose the house, whatever.”
After relocating to Newport Beach with his family, Thomas visited a restaurant without knowing that Bryant had already contacted the owner to arrange payment for their meal.
“So we pull up the first night. We’re thinking about our house, the whole shebang. We go to a restaurant to get some dinner. Kobe knows the owner. He calls, ‘Take care of my guy.’ Bill’s probably $600, $700. I’m getting ready to pull a card out. Oh, it was taken care of Who took care of it? ‘Oh, Mr. Bryant.’”
Thomas said he was surprised because he had not informed Bryant about his whereabouts. He later discovered that the Lakers legend had arranged for his expenses to be covered throughout his stay.
“I’m like, ‘Mr. Bryant? That man don’t know I’m here. How he know I’m here?’ He was somewhere doing something. And then the rest of the time we had to be there, which was probably two weeks or so, everywhere I went in the city, I had to pay for nothing.”
According to Thomas, Bryant also offered his family a place to stay at one of his properties, although they ultimately decided to remain at their beachfront accommodation.
“Really, he took care of everything. It was so crazy. To the point where he’s got a bunch of homes down there, so he was like, ‘Yo, just go stay at the house.’ But my wife wanted to stay at the beach. We had a beachfront, so she’s like, ‘Let’s just stay here.’ But he was like, ‘You just go to the house.’”
