Kobe Bryant is one of the most iconic players to ever play the game of basketball. Starting with when he first entered the league out of high school, he captured the attention of both veterans and fans alike – polarizing both to an extreme degree.
Fans loved Bryant from the jump. His brash style coupled with a blatantly undeniable talent made him an instant favorite.
Veterans, however?
Not so much
This past week, Gary Payton sat down with Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson and offered some interesting insight into why veterans initially had such an issue with Bryant.
“Kobe came in real arrogant,” Payton said.
“He was a high school kid coming in there talking about he gonna be the greatest, he’s gonna be one of the greatest basketball players. When he went to the Lakers, it started off when he forced Charlotte to trade… to the Lakers, so it is what it was, man…
“Them OGs was like, Man, who does this kid think he is, making people do this and that.’… So I just say, yeah, a lot of people were really against him, because of how he acted, but I loved it. He had an attitude, he had a dog to it.”
Bryant is being inducted into the Hall of Fame this weekend. The move has prompted many remembrances of and tributes to the Lakers legend.
That’s one way to watch a game. https://t.co/rlfZSR4DDe
— Game 7 (@game7__) May 13, 2021
Michael Jordan recently shared the final text message exchange he had with Bryant. Beyond that, over the past few weeks, a number of interesting stories about Bryant have resurfaced.
Everything from him describing the hardest player in the NBA for him to figure out to anecdotes about him from the 2008 Olympics to his one-of-a kind quote about missing shots.
Bryant’s impact on basketball and the fanhood he inspired is unmatched, so it’s great to see him getting the respect he deserves.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
