Top 5 Kobe Bryant stories narrated by NBA stars
The late great Kobe Bryant has been one of the most influential players to play in the NBA.
He was an inspiration to many even after he retired. Since the mid-2000s, several stars who have made their mark in the league, were inspired to play the game because of the LA Lakers legend.
Kobe Bryant wanted to be the best at whatever he was into throughout his life. His competitive nature and passion to be a legend saw him win five NBA championships and become a record 18-time NBA All-Star.
Throughout his NBA career, Bryant played at a very high level. He was a nightmare to face for all his opponents because of his killer instinct and ability to deliver when the stakes were high.
Kobe Bryant gave the NBA fraternity some invaluable memories to reminisce about. Almost every player has their own version of a 'Kobe story' to share in the NBA, which only shows how much his greatness rubbed off on every player he was around.
Bryant, who tragically passed away in a helicopter crash in 2020, would have turned 43 today. On the occasion of his 43rd birthday, here's a look at the top five 'Kobe stories' shared and narrated by NBA stars.
#5 "Big dog, I got you, just sit back and enjoy the show" - Shaquille O'Neal on what Kobe Bryant told him before taking over Game 4 of 2000 NBA Finals
Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant formed one of the most dominant duos in the NBA when the two led the LA Lakers between 1996 and 2004. They ended up winning three back-to-back championships, and made four consecutive NBA Finals appearances between 2000 and 2004.
During their first NBA Finals appearance in 2000, the LA Lakers were in deep trouble in Game 4 of the series against the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers were leading the Pacers 2-1 and had a chance to go 3-1 up. They almost squandered that chance after O'Neal was fouled out towards the end of the game.
Many felt that could have swung the Finals series the Pacers' way, as winning Game 4 had become relatively easier for the Pacers with O'Neal out of the game. However, Kobe Bryant had different ideas as he told O'Neale:
"Big dog, I got you, just sit back and enjoy the show."
Bryant went on to produce one of the best NBA Finals clutch performances in the remaining 5-6 minutes of the game. The LA Lakers, against all odds, ended up winning that game, as Bryant ended the night with 28 points.
#4 Dwyane Wade narrates an iconic Kobe Bryant story from the 2008 Olympics camp
The level Kobe Bryant was playing at was the benchmark in the NBA when players like Dwyane Wade debuted in the league. Everyone wanted to emulate the greatness of the 'Black Mamba' who had won three championships by the time he turned 24.
Wade and Bryant never played for the same team in the NBA, so they never got much chance to interact for a long time. It was only when they played for team USA together at the 2008 Olympics that they built a relationship. Wade shared a great story on veteran NBA player JJ Redick's podcast about a year ago regarding Kobe Bryant's unbeatable work ethic.
Wade spoke about one incident when Bryant had already finished one workout, while the rest of the team had just woken up after working out really late the previous day during the Olympics camp.
"Let me share this story with you... We were in Olympics, and this is when I knew Kobe was a f***ing monster, you hear about it, but if you don't see it, you really don't know. So we get into one of the city's very late, and immediately we go to the gym....After we get done working out, me and my guys we say, hey, let's meet for breakfast in the morning... So we do that, we get three hours of sleep... We go down to where the food is, as we were walking down.. with sleep in our eyes, we see Kobe Bryant sitting with ice on his knees already"
"We walk to Kob and ask him like Kob what's up? And he was like, oh yeah man I finished a workout, and I am about to go do another one."
It was the first time the Miami Heat star realized how much work the LA Lakers legend was putting in compared to the rest of the lot, which was one of the key reasons behind Kobe Bryant's success.