Osaka recalls moments with Kobe in WSJ interview

Naomi Osaka recently opened up in an interview with *WSJ. Magazine* **about facing discrimination, her participation in protests and her relationship with the late Kobe Bryant.

The world No. 10 has her sights set on lifting another US Open title and re-claiming the world No. 1 spot, but she is also embracing the power of her voice.

As recently as this summer, many would describe the 22-year-old as shy and timid. Those words have been replaced with passionate and unfiltered. A perfect example of her becoming more outspoken is from last year's US Open when she served up a straight-set victory over Coco Gauff. Osaka would ask the teen to join her on-court interview and it made for one of the most memorable moments of the year.

Osaka's genuine gesture reflected growth and she largely contributes it to five-time NBA champion Bryant. Although the two spent only a handful of moments together, he kept up with her results and made sure to stay in touch with her.

“I didn’t even know he was paying attention, but he would text me positive things and tell me to learn from it," Osaka told WSJ. Magazine. “For me, it was definitely helpful.”

This past Sunday marked the legendary basketball player's 42nd birthday. Osaka was practicing on Armstrong Stadium and the memories of Bryant sitting in her player box came flooding in.

In the interview, Osaka also talked about the ongoing fight for equality and why she continues to use her platform to ignite change.

"I’ve always watched protests on TV, and I never had the chance to go because I was always playing tennis," Osaka said. With the WTA tour shut down for over five months, she had the time this summer.

She flew to Minneapolis just days after George Floyd's death and felt inspired by those who cried for justice and peace. The Black Lives Matter movement deeply resonates with Osaka because she's been on the receiving end of discrimination.

At the junior Orange Bowl when she was just 10 years old, Osaka recalls a conversation between a Japanese girl and her friend, who didn't know Osaka was listening.

"She was talking with another Japanese girl, and they didn’t know that I was listening [or that] I spoke Japanese," Osaka told WSJ. Magazine. “Her friend asked her who she was playing, so she said Osaka. And her friend says, ‘Oh, that Black girl. Is she supposed to be Japanese?’ And then the girl that I was playing was like, ‘I don’t think so.'"

Although the discrimination Osaka has faced stems more from ignorance rather than hate, it still made her feel excluded from her Japanese heritage (her father is Haitian and her mother is Japanese but she grew up in America).

“My grandparents from Japan would send a box of food every couple of months," Osaka said to the magazine. “And I just remember thinking that whenever the box came was, like, the best period of my life, because we had all these cool Japanese snacks. And so if I could just share that feeling of happiness that I had when I got that box with other people, then I think my role in life would be fulfilled."

There's no doubt that she's making many people smile around the world this week as she storms through the Western & Southern Open draw. On Wednesday, Osaka is set to take on No. 12 seed Anett Kontaveit for a spot in the semifinals.

As she continues to pick up more match experience before next week's US Open, she will remember an important conversation she once had with Bryant. Osaka told her hero that she wanted to be just like him and he said, "No, be better."