It seems as if hazing the new guy is somewhat of a tradition that has been around for a while to eventually find its way into the NBA as well. Every year, new rookies get drafted by teams and go on to start their NBA careers. Having worked hard all their lives to make it to this pedestal, veterans on every other team used to haze their rookies as part of a bonding experience while also showing them their place on the team. Numerous NBA legends and Hall of Famers have been through this right of passage and in 1996, Kobe Bryant was no different. Drafted by the Charlotte Hornets and traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was the new rookie in LA.
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However, due to a wrist injury, Bryant was immediately deemed off-limits to any hazing or such. But even with Bryant’s injury, Shaquille O’Neal did not let that come in the way of his heckling the young guard.
“He(Kobe) sat, unavailable, with a bum wrist. So he was deemed largely off-limits.”
While Bryant wasn’t asked to carry bags or bring food for the entire team, Shaquille O’Neal did make him do some goofy things his rookie year. One of the things Bryant did, was perform a freestyle rap for the team.
“We did not get to haze him(Bryant) quite as much. Getting doughnuts and carrying bags and that sort of thing. Shaq did have him do some goofy things, like bust a freestyle rap for all of us.”
Kobe Bryant’s demeanour wasn’t well taken by his teammates when he joined the Lakers camp. As per the book Three Ring Circus by Jeff Pearlman, Kobe had a certain smugness that he carried around with him. Moreover, the confidence he exuded was something the players had never witnessed in a rookie.
“The veteran Lakers were taken aback by his perceived smugness….Bryant was neither humble nor quiet.”
Former Lakers player Cedric Ceballos also stated that, unlike most rookies, Bryant wasn’t seeking the approval of the veterans on his team.
“(Kobe) was different. Most rookies want the approval of veterans. He never really was that way.”
Kobe Bryant’s Mamba Mentality has often been talked about over the years. But what many don’t realize is the fact that Bryant was locked in from the very start. He knew the type of player he wanted to be, put in the work for it, and let his game do the talking for him.
Never did he let anything deviate him from his main focus and attention to achieve his goal. So, it would’ve been natural for Bryant to not bow down to his veteran teammates but instead prove his worth right from the get-go to earn their respect.
Who hazed Kobe Bryant if not his teammates?
Kobe Bryant may not have gotten ridiculed by his teammates when he came into the league as other rookies did. Shaquille O’Neal making him do goofy things and a freestyle rap were things far from what rookies dealt with when getting hazed.
But back in 2014, Cedric Ceballos went on to reveal that Bryant did in fact get heckled and hazed. It just wasn’t at the hands of his teammates but instead, he got the rookie treatment from ex-Laker legends.
According to TMZ, Ceballos said, “Even the veterans who are retired…James Worthy, Kareem, Wilt Chamberlain…All those guys came down to give him a little bit of rookie hazing, knowing that he was going to be the great player he is.”
Whatever little hazing Bryant dealt with at the hands of the Purple & Gold legends was all done as fun and games. Plus, judging by the career he had, let’s just agree on the fact that Kobe went on to haze rookies throughout his career, giving them their ‘Welcome to the NBA’ moments.
