When LeBron James was frustrated with Kobe Bryant’s selfish play in Redeem Team leading up to 2008 Olympics: “Yo coach, fix that motherf****r”
Kobe Bryant and LeBron James were once upon a time the two top dogs in the NBA. Both legends were the leaders of their own teams, which meant having two alpha males in one team could lead to a mess. Fortunately, during their alliance in Team USA's "Redeem Team", Bryant and James ended up playing well together. However, that doesn't mean they didn't have bad moments.
According to Yahoo Sports, the new book titled "Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski" revealed a heated moment between Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Infuriated by Bryant's self-centered behavior in the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics, James encouraged coach Mike Krzyzewski to punish "Mamba" severely.
A team staffer mentioned in the book how annoyed James was at Bryant's selfishness on the court. Out of frustration, he told coach Krzyzewski to fix his teammates in an unpleasant manner.
“Players can police themselves, but in this instance, as LeBron was coming out of the game, he said to Mike, ‘Yo, Coach, you’d better fix that motherfucker,’ as he walked by,” a team staffer said. “He was talking about Kobe.”
It was obvious that Kobe Bryant was still adjusting to an environment wherein he had to be a team player. It's not every day that "Mamba" has to share the court with other stars just as big as him. In the end, he and the rest of Team USA found a way to get along, ultimately winning the gold medal in 2008.
Looking at how LeBron James and Kobe Bryant built their friendship
Over the course of his 20-year NBA career, LeBron James has made a lot of friends. However, one unusual buddy James made throughout the course of his career was Kobe Bryant. Some of the most noteworthy friendships James has made are with Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Chris Paul dubbed the "Banana Boat Squad."
The Netflix documentary "The Redeem Team" explored the events leading up to LeBron and Kobe's friendship in detail. Bryant was an outcast before joining up with James on the USA team. Due to his behavior both on and off the court, Bryant had a hard time making friends in the NBA. After Shaquille O'Neal departed the LA Lakers, his problems worsened.
In 2007, Kobe Bryant received an invitation to join Team USA. Bryant was still experiencing some difficulties at the time as a result of all the criticism he faced that year. He didn't join the national team in an effort to meet people. Kobe signed up to compete and showed that he was a victor. However, after spending a lot of time with his teammates, his perspective began to shift.
Bryant was rumored to be practicing by himself. "King James" initiated a conversation with the "Black Mamba" after doing something to break the ice. Everyone initially believed that the two of them wouldn't get along, but LeBron James ended up being the ideal counterpoint to Kobe Bryant.
Kobe was someone who LeBron always made a point of making light of and tried to make a grin whenever he could. Kobe finally began to open up to the rest of the team because of LeBron James' efforts to get to know Bryant. The friendship between LeBron and Kobe is definitely unique.