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#3 Iman Shumpert remembers one of Kobe Bryant's best games at Madison Square Garden
Kobe Bryant was one of the few opposition players to dominate the New York Knicks at the Madison Square Garden during the prime of his career.
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Veteran Iman Shumpert was at the receiving end of one of Bryant's most stellar games at the MSG. In a matchup that took place in 2012, Bryant had a mediocre game throughout the first three quarters, but turned the switch in the last quarter.
Shumpert had a couple of steals against Kobe Bryant, and did a great job of limiting him. However, according to Shumpert, Bryant went up to him before the start of the fourth quarter and told him that he had a great game, hinting that he was going to dominate the last quarter.
Speaking in an interview on 'Ebro in the Morning,' Shumpert said:
"I guarded Kobe in the Garden, which I can't remember how much he had, but I know I had multiple steals against him... In my head I am thinking of a conversation with my brother after the end of the game, Imma tell him I stole the ball from Kobe, how I stripped Kobe before he was going to take a shot, how I drove by Kobe and got a dunk, I am thinking about all these things in my head. The fourth quarter starts...and Kobe said you had a great game young fella..."
Shumpert couldn't stop Kobe Bryant after that. Bryant pulled out all his moves to help his team get the win, but it wasn't enough as the Knicks eventually claimed a 92-85 win.
#2 "Tell Dre 50 tonight" - Kobe Bryant vows to dominate Andre Iguodala after getting outplayed in their previous meeting
Kobe Bryant is widely regarded as the next Michael Jordan as he had emulated the former Chicago Bulls star's moves throughout his career. Bryant idolized MJ growing up, and picked up several on and off-court traits from his idol.
One thing that was heavily common between the two was their ability to deliver on what they promised. Kobe Bryant was once outplayed by veteran Andre Iguodala in a matchup between the LA Lakers and the Philadelphia 76ers. The latter held the former to only seven of 20 shooting.
Bryant had marked the calendar for the next matchup between the two players, as he wanted to make a comeback against him. In an old interview, Iguodala narrated the incident and said:
"So he (Kobe) came to our locker room, and he was like "where's Dre?" And I was on the court working out, getting ready for the game. So he (Kobe) told Louis Williams: "tell Dre 50 tonight. So six minutes to go in the fourth quarter, uh he (Kobe) had 49 (points)"
This was one of the most vintage Kobe Bryant stories ever, as he did exactly what he said he was going to do. There were multiple times Bryant achieved that kind of a feat in his career.
#1 Kobe Bryant doesn't speak to his teammates after Michael Jordan taunts him that he can't fill his shoes
Kobe Bryant idolized Michael Jordan like no one else. He copied all of his moves, and looked at him as a mentor since day one of their first interaction. Many touted Bryant to take over from Jordan after the latter would call time on his career in the early 2000s.
However, during one of the matchups between Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan, the latter taunted the former that he could never fill his shoes despite emulating him. That did not sit well with Kobe Bryant, though, and as per a story narrated by former NBA player Gilbert Arenas, the 'Black Mamba' did not speak to his teammates for two whole weeks.
Arenas said:
"So in Washington, Jordan gets that win. Jordan hits him (Kobe) on the b*** and says "you can put the shoes on, but ain't never gonna fill them." So they say Kobe didn't talk to the team for two weeks."
Kobe Bryant went silent for two weeks, but exploded the next time the LA Lakers played the Washington Wizards. He scored 55 points to lead the Lakers to a win, completely dominating his idol and making a statement that he was ready to take Jordan's place in the league as the best player.
