Kobe Bryant was destined for greatness the moment he entered the NBA in 1996. Drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers, the young player showed flashes of brilliance on the court and an impeccable work ethic off it. He was unafraid of the moment and was ready to take on the world. This became very clear when the 19-year-old put Ben Wallace on a poster during the 1997 pre-season game. In a tweet shared by ‘ClutchPoints’, the moment happened twenty-six years to the date.
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Ben Wallace, who eventually won four Defensive Player of the Year, was left embarrassed when a young Kobe Bryant went over his head to slam the ball in the basket. Seven years later, the Detroit Pistons’ Power Forward would defeat the dynamic duo of Kobe and Shaq 4-1 in the NBA Finals.
Kobe Bryant put Ben Wallace on a poster
In a throwback moment shared by ‘ClutchPoints‘ on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Kobe Bryant put Ben Wallace on a poster twenty-six years ago. In 1997, the 19-year-old crossed his defender at the top of the key before entering down the lane to elevate over Wallace and slam the ball down emphatically. Here is a video of the dunk:
The four-time Defensive Player of the Year did not know what hit him. However, seven years later, Wallace would have his revenge. The Detroit Pistons matched up against the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. The team would bow out in five games to give the Pistons a championship. This loss would also mark the end of a prolific Kobe-Shaq pairing. Later in his career, Bryant would admit to their team being inferior in the series.
Bryant reflects on the 2004 NBA Finals loss
In 2015, Kobe Bryant sat down with ESPN and discussed the 2004 NBA Finals loss against the Detroit Pistons. The Los Angeles Lakers were heavy favorites going into the series, with players like Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant, and Gary Payton on their roster. However, Kobe believes the Detroit Pistons were the better team and executed their game plan to perfection. Here is a quote from the article:
“”They were a better team,” Bryant said after practice here before the team boarded a flight to Michigan. “They executed extremely well. They played extremely well and executed well. They pressured us, and we weren’t ready to go deeper into our offense and into our automatics. The stuff that wins us championships is being able to go into our automatics. We just weren’t prepared to do it. They kicked our a**.”
The five-time NBA champion reflected on the team not running their offense to the expected capabilities. While the Lakers had the more talented roster, the Pistons played better as a team. According to Kobe, talent can only take you so far. After that, it is all about execution.
