Gilbert Arenas on Kobe Bryant irking player's psyche with intelligent trash: “He’s gonna attack your intelligence"

To this day, Kobe Bryant remains possibly one of the most competitive humans to ever play professional sports. Throughout his NBA career, he showcased his Mamba Mentality, giving meaning to a phrase that will withstand the test of time. Known as the ultimate competitor, Bryant proved time and time again why opponents should fear him.

It wasn't just insulting his opponents that excited Bryant, it was the way he did it. For example, during the 2008 Olympics, when Bryant was tasked with leading Team USA back to its former glory, he went viral for trash-talking Louis Scola. In fact, his trash talk towards Scola (in Spanish, by the way) was so aggressive that LeBron James motioned for him to chill.

The way NBA veteran Gilbert Arenas saw things, Bryant's trash talk was both intelligent and calculated. During a recent interview with DJ Vlad for VladTV, Arenas reflected on a situation that occurred between the two midgame after Caron Butler fouled one of Kobe's teammates on a break.

While the rest of Butler's teammates applauded him for his defense, Bryant had a different take. He approached Butler for some of his signature trash talk. Arenas recalled the back and forth between the two, and the impact it had on Caron Butler as he questioned the take foul:

"The stuff he said, like, he makes you think about the things you did. And it's like, 'Y'all think that's a good play? You need to guard me. You need all six (fouls). You just wasted one on him. You might as well just let the two points go, because you sitting on the bench. I'm gonna get 10, 12 points because you're on the bench because that one foul.'

"That was his thing, where it's like he's gonna attack your intelligence to see if you're gonna fall for the bait."

You can see his comments in the video above, with the first quote coming early on in the video, and the second coming around the 2:30 mark.

Kobe Bryant's ruthless trash talk

It wasn't just fierce competitors that Kobe Bryant would trash talk. Even the nicest of players would often feel the heat when playing against him. Such was the case when Bryant and Tim Duncan matched up late in their careers. Although Tim Duncan was one of the quietest players in the league, Bryant wasn't going to let him off the hook.

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Kobe Bryant (Los Angeles Lakers v New Orleans Hornets - Game Three)

In 2013, Duncan and Bryant squared off in one of their many matchups. Towards the end of the game, Duncan allegedly criticized Kobe Bryant for taking too many shots.

As the Black Mamba explained later, he had to remind Duncan of his record against the Spurs.

"I said, 'You know what? I remember beating you guys a few times in the playoffs.' He said, 'Well, yeah, you got us a couple times.' I said, 'You know what? I think my ring count is a little higher than yours.' It was like two old dogs just barking back and forth at each other."

Of course, it was Duncan who got the last laugh. When the two men retired, Tim Duncan had bested Kobe Bryant in 43 of the 82 games they played.