“Bill MacDonald showed Kobe Bryant the middle finger and yelled expletives”: When the Black Mamba humiliated the Lakers announcer on the streets of LA

Throwback to when Lakers’ legend Kobe Bryant beat Bill MacDonald in a race on the highway and reiterated his competitive spirit

Kobe Bryant’s Mamba mentality stories never get old and are not only limited to basketball. For years, the 2x Finals MVP has inspired us with his work ethic and competitive drive.

Bryant’s urge to succeed in every aspect of life reminds us of his mentor Michael Jordan. Probably the two resembled in many ways. The two icons had a similar playing style, with Bryant admitting that he stole some moves from the Bulls legend.

There are innumerable stories regarding Bryant’s incredible work ethic and being the hardest worker in the room. Bryant’s former agent Rob Pelinka once narrated an incident about how the Lakers superstar took private coaching, after losing a tennis match to him.

Also read: Kobe Bryant Twitter Like Button: How social media giants paid tribute to the Lakers legend on Mamba Day 2020 by replacing their like button with a black mamba

Kobe’s farewell game is yet another example of the same. His former teammate Shaquille O’Neal challenged him to score 50, and the Mamba would torch a 60-point performance.

Kobe Bryant defeats neighbor and Lakers announcer Bill MacDonald in an epic car race.

Kobe Bryant and Bill MacDonald lived near each other in LA. They would often joke about racing back home from Staples, but could never time their exit right. However one day, the stars aligned, and the two finally got to race each other.

“I’m driving down the 405 and I see Kobe’s car in front of me,” MacDonald said. “It was stopped and I happened to blow right past him with my middle finger out the window like ‘F— you!’ and I’m screaming at him and what does he do? We proceed to play cat and mouse for the next 25 minutes all the way down the San Diego freeways, breaking all kinds of rules.”

The 18x All-Star made quite the bucks during his NBA tenure. According to MotorBiscuit, Bryant’s car collection ranged from a Lamborghini Murcielago to a Ferrari F430. Thus in all probability, the superstar would have a top-end car.

“Now, his car was a little more expensive than mine and a little more high performance and there was no way in his competitiveness, that he was going to lose to me, so when we crossed the finish line and the checkered flag came out, Bryant beat me home,” MacDonald told Complex.

Also Read: Kobe Bryant Twitter Like Button: How social media giants paid tribute to the Lakers legend on Mamba Day 2020 by replacing their like button with a black mamba

It was very evident from the life he led that Bryant’s will to succeed was unmatchable. That’s what made him an icon of the game. Bryant’s Mamba mentality is followed by athletes in all walks of sports.