Anthony Davis already knew Kobe Bryant was one of the greats of the game of basketball, but there was a moment on the court that further solidified his feelings. The 32-year-old recalled a faceoff between the Pels and Lakers that left an even greater impression on him regarding the Mamba’s greatness.
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Davis reminisced about a matchup against Kobe Bryant early in his career, when the Pelicans had a comfortable lead. He recalled that Los Angeles was trailing by 20 points before Bryant turned it up and began to pull the contest closer. However, in the middle of the game, Kobe tore the rotator cuff in his right shoulder, hampering his ability to play.
AD acknowledged that they’d never wish injury on anyone, but he and his Pelicans teammates were still excited about their chances of winning the game with the Lakers great likely sidelined. Without a functioning rotator cuff in his shooting arm, it seemed likely that Bryant would be out for the rest of the game, but the Pels were quickly proven wrong.
“We look up, Kobe’s at the scorer’s table. He’s coming back in the game, he started playing left-handed,” Davis shared. “He get the ball, in the post, in front of our bench. He dribble, dribble, shoots a turnaround left-handed, it goes in.”
AD couldn’t believe what he was witnessing. Bryant was already a five-time champion and a bonafide Hall of Famer by this point in his career, yet this felt like something Davis had never seen from the late legend before. “I said, ‘Hey, hold on, man. He’s not human.'”
Powered by Kobe’s unbreakable spirit, the Lakers stormed back and ended up winning what New Orleans had hoped was a surefire victory. “It just shows you the level of competitiveness Kobe had in him and how much he wanted to win,” Davis continued. “There’s nothing that could’ve kept him out.”
This isn’t the only time the Black Mamba had powered through injuries though.
Kobe Bryant was known to play through injuries
Kobe suffered – and played through – several injuries throughout his career. While his prime-ending Achilles tear stands out as the most prominent injury of his Lakers tenure, he also battled smaller injuries, including finger issues.
Bryant learned how to play through his injured fingers and proceeded to pass down the knowledge of his experience to Stephen Curry, who battled a similar issue. Curry reached out to Bryant, who told him it was possible to play with the injury if it was wrapped and padded but included that it was one of the more painful injuries he’d experienced in his career and did not heal quickly.
Kobe’s finger injury occurred during the 2009-10 season when he fractured his ring finger in two places near the tip after trying to catch a pass. Despite the painful injury, Bryant went on to win NBA Finals MVP while leading L.A. to his fifth and final NBA championship.
Vanessa Bryant once spoke about the same. She shared how she asked Kobe once why he played through injuries. Mamba had a simple reply – “What about the fans who saved up to see me play just once?”
That one line summarizes the level of dedication Kobe had to the game of basketball and to his fans. It’s rare to see that level of commitment by a star of his stature anymore.
