‘You ready to f**king blackout?’: When Kobe Bryant Welcomed His New Lakers Teammate Caron Butler With An Invitation To A Grueling Practice Session

Kobe Bryant wanted to welcome his new teammate Caron Butler to the Lakers, and so he invited him to blackout together, just not in the way you’re thinking.

Kobe goes down in NBA history as one of the greatest to ever play the game, his five NBA titles being clear evidence of that. His legacy was centered around a drive to be perfect, to work the hardest, and to dominate his opponents.

The ‘Mamba Mentality’ is something that’s been permanently etched into our minds as basketball fans, and we all continue to live by it in some way or the other. That drive to outwork everyone is a key characteristic of the ‘Mamba Mentality’ and in every Kobe, you can see this come out.

“The most important thing in life is how your career moves and touches those around you.”

Kobe Bryant would have been 43 today. #MambaMentality pic.twitter.com/1DEcSn3Loz

— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) August 23, 2021

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Kobe Bryant Had The Most Confusing ‘Blackout’ Invite For Caron Butler

In 2004, Kobe’s crazy work ethic would clash with his teammate Shaq’s style eventually leading to the Lakers trading away their legendary center to the Miami Heat for Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, and some draft picks.

Butler had no idea what was about to him. The Heat guard/forward had a couple of decent seasons averaging above 15 points per game in two out of his three years with Miami, proving to be a great role player.

At the time, Kobe was one of the best players in the league and he had just signed a huge contract, one worth $136 million. Butler was absolutely shocked by it.

However, the minute Kobe put pen to paper, he was ready to get to work with his new teammates. Butler recently spoke about what followed after Kobe signed the contract, showing Bryant’s incredible work ethic.

“I’m with Kobe first day, press conference; he signs like a $136 million [contract], never seen no s— like that before, so I’m like, ‘Wow, this is crazy,’” Butler would recall on ‘The Long Shot’ podcast by Duncan Robinson. “The second he signed it, he’s like, ‘You ready to f—ing blackout?’ And I was like, ‘What is a blackout?’ He’s like, ‘We about to f—ing blackout. Be here at 7 a.m. tomorrow.’”

And that’s how you black out with Kobe Bryant. You won’t be taking shots or going crazy at some rager, but instead, you’ll be at the gym, grinding until you can’t take it anymore.

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About the author

Ashish Priyadarshi

Ashish Priyadarshi is The SportsRush's content manager and editor. Ashish freelanced for 1 year in the NFL division before taking on an editorial role in the company. He then tacked on managing content while adding on a writing role in the NBA division. Ashish has been closely following the NFL and NBA since the 2012 season when the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and Derrick Rose was at the height of his powers. Since then, Ashish has focused on honing his knowledge for both leagues in, even writing crossover pieces. In his free time, Ashish is an avid basketball player, he loves to watch movies and TV shows, immersing himself in the cinematic world. Ashish studies computer science and data science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and would love to mesh his love for sports with his technical skills.

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