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By Maurice Bobb

Lil Wayne has called Kobe Bryant his inspiration for life and music, which is why he got the Los Angeles Lakers great to premiere the cover art for his highly anticipated Tha Carter V on Monday (April 28).

"Carter V season begins #carterV," Kobe tweeted, with a picture of the simple yet balanced artwork. The red Roman numeral V is centered on a white background with the phrase "Tha Carter V" shadowed all around it equidistantly. Weezy's name sits atop the numeral, with a lower case "lil" preceding an all-caps "WAYNE."

The five-time NBA champ also posted the LP's cover art on his Instagram page.

The fifth and final installment of Tunechi's Carter series was originally slated for a May 5 release date, but another Bryant, Cortez (Wayne's manager), denied those rumors, citing that the extended wait will be worth it.

"Gonna be f—in' amazing," he said. "It's gonna be that good."

"I say it's different, because I'm older and wiser, and I know more things and I know more about myself now," Wayne told MTV News last month. "I'm more careful about what I'm doing and trying to be more careful what I'm saying. It's awesome; it's coming together dope. I think the Wayne fans are gonna like it."