Kai Lenny Honors Martial Arts Legend Bruce Lee, Applies His Philosophies to Surfing (Watch)

Kai Lenny for Bruce Lee? Yup, you got that right.

The martial arts legend, and star of action movies like "Fist of Fury " and "Enter the Dragon," died on July 20, 1973. Die-hard Lee fans are celebrating the 50th anniversary of his death all year long and waterman Kai Lenny is honoring him too.

Yesterday, a video of Lenny paying tribute to the iconic actor was posted on Lee's Instagram page, which is managed by his daughter and has 10.4 million followers. Lenny and Kelly Slater are two of them.

The clip above is captioned:

"#BL50Tribute from @kai_lenny - “Elevate yourself and those around you.” Thank you, Kai Celebrating 50 Years of Bruce Lee’s Legacy all year long."

In the clip, Lenny holds his surfboard and speaks directly to the camera, saying:

"Aloha, my name is Kai Lenny and I'm a professional water sports athlete.

"For me, Bruce Lee was one of my biggest inspirations growing up. He passed away many years ago and it's just crazy how somebody could have such a huge impact and it wasn't even during my lifetime.

"Growing up, my favorite film of his was "Enter the Dragon."

"He was so inspirational and his philosophies have really stuck with me, and I would say he's somebody that I've most wanted to emulate as a person. Even though I'm not into martial arts like he was, I do enjoy and see the parallels of his teachings in water sports and in trying to ride the biggest waves that the planet has to offer.

"My favorite mantra of his was 'to be like water.'

"I think what he always stood for was elevating yourself and others around you. You know, I hope not in this life but maybe the next I'll be able to meet Bruce Lee."

***

Don't miss another headline from SURFER! Subscribe to our newsletter, follow us on Instagram, and stay connected with the latest happenings in the world of surfing. We're always on the lookout for amusing, interesting and engaging surf-related videos to feature on our channels.

Whether you're a professional surfer or just an amateur, we want to see your best footage and help you share it with the world. Submit your video for a chance to be featured on SURFER and our social channels. Be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch high-quality surf videos.