Kobe Bryant’s death changed the way Kanye West “looks at life”, as the rapper dubbed the late sports star as one of his “best friends”.

The NBA star tragically passed away in January when he and eight others— including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna—lost their lives during a helicopter crash.

And Kanye—who dubbed the sporting legend as one of his “best friends”—has now said he thinks about Kobe whenever he drives past the area in Calabasas, California, where the crash took place.

He said: “So now there’s no way for me not to be as determined as Kobe every time I drive down that street. It’s game time. There’s no move that we can’t make or that we’ll wait to make.

“Everyone in our life is now a member of the Lakers on one of Kobe’s championship teams. The way that Kobe would say that we all have to come together and win this championship is the way I look at life now. To an infinite, other level.”

Kanye, 42, says Kobe’s death has been a “game-changer” for him and insists he will no longer “take any mess for an answer”.