"Don't you ever ask me am I ok?" - Rudy Gay shares Kobe Bryant's ice cold response after leaving him bloodied
On Tuesday afternoon, Rudy Gay put out a heartfelt letter in "The Players' Tribune" to announce his retirement from the NBA.
As he looked back on his long career, the journeyman forward recalled a specific encounter he had with Kobe Bryant.
Gay reflected on the two facing off against each other in 2013 after becoming good friends at Team USA camp. In the midst of the game, he happened to knock down the LA Lakers legend, causing him to bleed.
After seeing how banged up Kobe was, Rudy Gay continually tried to ask him if he was alright. It would take multiple attempts before the former MVP would give him a stern response.
“Kob, I know I got you with the shoulder a little bit. Are you OK?” Gay said.
“Don’t you ever …………….. ask me ……….. am I OK.” Bryant responded.
Having spent the majority of his career in the Western Conference, Gay faced off against Bryant on countless occasions. He was drafted eighth overall by the Houston Rockets in 2006 but ended up being traded to the Memphis Grizzlies.
Over the next nearly two decades, Gay would suit up for multiple franchises. His other stops included the Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings and Utah Jazz. Gay last played in the league in 2023, appearing in 56 games for the Jazz at the age of 36.
Rudy Gay admits that 10-time All-Star was his inspiration to make it to the NBA
In his story for "The Players' Tribune," Rudy Gay reflected on all the ins and outs of his time in the NBA. He also gave a special shoutout to a former All-Star who ended up being his inspiration to make it to the league.
While he spent the first couple years of his life in New York, Carmelo Anthony ended up moving to Baltimore when he was young. He'd go to be a big name in the city's basketball scene, eventually making it to the pros.
Being a few years younger than him, Gay opened up on how Anthony was his inspiration to pursue his dream. He feels the future Hall of Famer laid out what needed to be done to reach the highest level of competition in the sport.
"I’m always going to give that guy his flowers," Gay wrote. "Melo was three years ahead of me, and he really laid down the blueprint for achieving greatness coming out of our town. Coming up and seeing him do it, that was super inspiring to me."
"Carmelo Anthony, more than anyone else, taught me what it meant to do your thing and show out for Baltimore on the biggest stage possible."
Ironically enough, Rudy Gay almost walked away from the game at the same time as the man who was his idol. Anthony announced his retirement from the NBA in May of 2023 after 19 seasons in the league.