Donald Trump was one of many who wanted to witness Kobe play in person. However, the politician was unable to do so despite being present during the New York Knicks-Los Angeles Lakers clash in 2006-07.
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During the 2006-07 NBA season, Kobe Bryant played at a different level altogether. Annihilating defenders on a daily basis, the Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard would get buckets at will.
Bryant had another sensational season after the 2005-06 season, where the Black Mamba averaged a staggering 35.4 points. Being the primary bucket-getter for Phil Jackson and co., the then-28-year-old went on a scoring rampage and lodged 31.4 points per game.
During the course of the season, several celebrities from all over the nation showed up at different games of the Purple & Gold in order to witness the iconic two-guard ball out.
Kobe Bryant received a one-game suspension, and wasn’t able to play against the Knicks
Just a few hours before tip-off, the NBA announced Kobe was being penalized with a 1-game suspension for a play that had occurred in LAL’s previous game.
Not knowing that the 6-foot-6 superstar was not going to suit up at the Maddison Square Garden, Trump was disappointed to not see Bryant take on the floor.
During the game, while talking to a reporter, Trump expressed his frustrations:
“Came here to see my man, Kobe, he’s great. I’m sitting and saying, ‘What happened to Kobe?’ But I guess he had a little problem. You know I really like watching the team, but I’m still waiting to see Kobe.”
Despite playing without their leader, the California-based franchise gave an extremely tough fight to Isiah Thomas’s boys. Despite Lamar Odom’s 25-point outing, the Lakers suffered a close 94-99 loss.
Why was Kobe slapped with the suspension?
During the Lakers’ 28th January matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, Bryant struck Manu Ginobili in the face while attempting a game-winner.
Here, look at the play that occurred during the dying seconds of the action-packed thriller.
Kobe was infuriated when he learned about the suspension he had received. Stating that he “unintentionally” struck Manu, Bryant didn’t agree with the league’s decision.
“I’ve been waiting to play here, it’s always been a fun place for me to play here, and I’m surprised. Shocked, by it, actually,” Bryant said. “I unintentionally caught Manu Ginobili. What do you say, it’s a basketball game. You unintentionally catch people with elbows every once in a while.”
As much as we love Kobe, it doesn’t seem as if the elbow to Ginobili’s face was unintentional.
