Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant had a penchant for creating iconic moments in post-game press conferences. Among the finest examples of this innate ability of his was on display after the Lakers’ Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second-round 2012 NBA playoffs. In the post-game press conference, a disengaged Kobe was all but done answering questions when a reporter condescendingly asked, “Can you guard?”
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The surprised Lakers superstar responded,
“Excuse me?”
prompting the reporter to repeat the question with the same condescension. Bryant sarcastically responded, “No,” before staring down the reporter who remained mum. Bryant smiled and walked off while other reporters giggled.
The reporter questioning Bryant’s defensive ability was evidently unfamiliar with his resume. No player in NBA history has more All-Defensive First-Team selections than the Lakers icon. His tally of 12 All-Defensive team selections is bettered only by San Antonio Spurs legend Tim Duncan, who earned 15 nods.
While Kobe Bryant won the battle in the press conference that evening, he and the Lakers lost the series against OKC in five games. He tried his best to carry his team to victory, averaging 31.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in the series. However, the Lakers couldn’t contain the Thunder’s young trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden.
Bryant’s 42-point outing in Game 5 was the final playoff appearance of his incredible career.
Kobe Bryant’s iconic press conference moments
Kobe Bryant’s hilarious response to the reporter questioning his defensive ability was only one example of the Lakers superstar’s cold-blooded mindset. His trademark ‘Mamba Mentality’ was on full display after the Lakers’ Game 2 win over the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals.
In the post-game press conference, Bryant’s serious demeanour prompted a reporter to ask if he wasn’t happy with the win. He responded with a question, asking, “What’s there to be happy about?” When the reporter pointed to the Lakers taking a 2-0 lead in the series, Bryant stoically responded:
“Job’s not finished. Job finished? I don’t think so.”
The Lakers superstar’s iconic answer continues to motivate athletes chasing championships.
Even when Kobe finished the job, he managed to deliver an all-time moment during a post-game press conference. After the Lakers’ Game 7 win in the 2010 NBA Finals, the Lakers superstar was asked what the fifth championship win of his career meant to him. Kobe, without hesitation and with a beaming smile, responded:
“Just got one more than Shaq.”
His response was met with rapturous laughter.
Kobe and Shaquille O’Neal discussed the iconic moment in a “Players Only” interview. O’Neal admitted that he tore his house up after Bryant added a fifth ring to his resume, surpassing his former teammate’s tally of four. The three-time Finals MVP saw the funny side of his former teammate’s verbal jab and laughed it off.
