“Anyone crazy enough to f–k with me is crazy enough to play with me”: When Kobe Bryant explained why he recruited Matt Barnes to the Lakers

Lakers legend Kobe Bryant recruited Matt Barnes back in 2010 after their regular season encounter during the 2009-10 season

When one thinks of the most competitive players in the NBA, one often imagines Michael Jordan or Kobe Bryant. These two greats of the game embodied the competitive drive. Following in Michael Jordan’s footsteps, Kobe became the sensation in the NBA.

Kobe Bryant was one of the most fearless guys in the NBA. Once he stepped foot on the court, there was nothing that could terrify him. Kobe often was known to play games with his opponents, get in their heads, and do everything possible to secure the win. His killer mentality was unparalleled. One of the more famous incidents of the same is the on-court incident between Kobe and Matt Barnes. Back in 2009, when the Orlando Magic and the Lakers met in the regular season, things got heated between Barnes and Bryant. This led to the famous no-flinch Kobe moment.

March 7, 2010: During an iconic inbounds pass, Los Angeles #Lakers SG Kobe Bryant didn’t flinch at all after Orlando Magic F Matt Barnes pump-faked the ball right in his face, epitomizing his mamba mentality
pic.twitter.com/4XY6hFcX2f

— Pro Sports Outlook (@PSO_Sports) March 8, 2022

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Kobe Bryant recruited Matt Barnes to the Lakers during the following off-season

After this game, Kobe Bryant did not forget about what Matt Barnes did. During the 2010 offseason, Matt Barnes was a free agent. He was almost about to sign with Pat Riley and the Heat and be a part of the Miami super team, when a call from an unknown number changed all that.

On the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast, Barnes revealed what happened on that phone call.

“But what a lot of people didn’t know was at the end of that season, he personally called me. I didn’t have his number for some reason and I just picked up and it was him [Kobe Bryant]. He’s like ‘Anyone crazy enough to f**k with me, is crazy enough to play with me, do you wanna be a Laker?’

Barnes spent two years in a Lakers uniform and got really close with Kobe and his family. However, he couldn’t win a title in LA. In the end, Matt signed with the Warriors in 2017, won a title, and hung up his boots then.

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However, this just goes to show that Kobe didn’t care about things that happened on the court. As long as you made an impression on him, he would have respect for you.