Watch: Luka Doncic meets Kobe Bryant and Gigi Bryant sitting courtside on this day 2 years ago, recalls Kobe speaking Slovenian
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has taken the NBA by storm since entering the league in 2018. After generating hype with his professional career overseas, Doncic was selected third overall and hit the ground running with his impressive display of offensive weaponry in the NBA.
It didn't take long before some of the NBA's elite talent noticed how special Doncic was, and that included legendary LA Lakers guard kobe-bryant" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-is-sponsored="false">Kobe Bryant.
Throughout his career, Bryant built a reputation as one of the most competitive players to ever play. There are plenty of stories about Bryant's relentless work ethic, but the Lakers superstar also put in time off the court to study and gain a mental advantage against his opponents.
On this day two years ago, Bryant gave us another example of his ability to get inside the heads of fellow NBA players. While sitting courtside at a Lakers home game against the Dallas Mavericks, Bryant and his daughter, Gigi, watched before an interaction between the Lakers legend and Doncic took place.
"He was talking Slovenian," Doncic said. "So I was, like, 'Who's talking my language?' I saw Kobe and was really surprised."
"He was talking Slovenian. So I was like, 'Who's talking my language?' I saw Kobe and was really surprised."
- @luka7doncic on the heckling fan at the Lakers/Mavs game 💜💛
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A moment between two fierce competitors
It was a special moment for Luka Doncic and Kobe Bryant, two competitive players. Although Bryant was retired at the time, it showed his competitive nature still remained.
Doncic was interviewed after the game and talked about being surprised to hear a "heckler" talking Slovenian. Doncic was born in Ljubljana, Slovenia. When Doncic turned around to see who it was, he was shocked to realize it was Bryant. Doncic was more than happy to see Bryant was the one speaking his native tongue.
Although born in Philadelphia, Bryant grew up in Italy, while his dad, Joe Bryant, played professional basketball in the country. Bryant learned to speak Italian. He was also fluent in Spanish and could speak parts of several other languages.
Bryant, a Hall of Famer, won five NBA championships and was an All-Star 18 times in his 20 seasons.
Throughout his career, Bryant was known for his ability to use random tactics to gain an edge against the opposition. Even with Bryant watching the game as a spectator, it was clear he was still trying to let Doncic know he hadn't lost a step when it came to his competitive drive.