Although many people have been sharing stories of how Kobe Bryant impacted their lives in some way, Notre Dame football legend Rudy who inspired Bryant was Notre Dame football legend Rudy Ruettiger.

Rudy, whose rise to gridiron glory is well documented, says when he met Bryant in 2011, Bryant thanked him for keeping his chin up in tough times.

“He says, 'See you have talent. You had no talent. But you went out there and followed your dreams. You got kicked around. You got kicked up. You remind me not to take my talent for granted. That’s why I’m out here,'" Rudy said. “I didn’t know I was making an impact on him. That’s why you go for your dreams because dreams inspire other dreams. We can’t take what we have for granted. Maybe that was his gift to everyone here. God has taken him and his daughter in a good place although it was a tragic ending. But they're in a good place.”

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