I've always loved watching him play, just loved hearing about his work ethic and stuff that he did on and off the court, and how he always worked harder than everybody else," Thomas said. Obviously he's freakishly talented, but why he was better than everybody else was because he was going to work harder to get there and just kind of will himself to be a winner. Reigning U.S. Open champ Gary Woodland plans to write a Bryant tribute on his shoes this week, and he has swapped out his putter cover for one that features the Lakers' colors of purple and gold.