Panthers safety Roman Harper gets advice from Kobe Bryant

Carolina Panthers safety Roman Harper got the opportunity to meet Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant after the Lakers played the Charlotte Hornets on Monday night and left with an unforgettable experience.

“I got to meet Kobe Bryant last night, so I’m riding high,” Harper said. “I haven’t had many days better than that. I’m good.”

Dressed in a gold Lakers zip-up jacket, Harper talked to Bryant, who is retiring at the end of this season.

“He’s the Black Mamba,” Harper said. “What else is there to say? He’s one of the greatest of all-time, if not the greatest. The best I’ve ever seen with my own eyes. I was just really excited about it. Had the opportunity to meet him and having him come out and take time out of his day to talk to not only me, but some of my other teammates, was really cool.”

Several Panthers players were at the game, including Charles Johnson, Thomas Davis, Devin Funchess and Luke Kuechly.

Harper didn’t say whether he got a jersey from Bryant but did say he got some advice from the 20-year NBA veteran.

“One thing that he did implement was really about he’s watched us and just to go out there do it, man,” Harper said. “Don’t go this far and don’t settle for anything, and just go out there and finish it and go do it. Coming from the Black Mamba, I say we’ve got to go do that.”

This story was originally published December 29, 2015 at 4:28 PM with the headline "Panthers safety Roman Harper gets advice from Kobe Bryant."