Throughout his NBA career, Kobe Bryant has been a serious person who is hard to mess with. Even as a rookie in the league, he still liked maintaining that temperament and seriousness, which we now call the ‘Mamba mentality.’ However, not all people liked Kobe being serious and abrasive all the time. Many took it with a pinch of salt, mistaking it for his arrogance. In fact, he even almost got punched for it by a Nets player, before Donald Trump rescued him.
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The book Three Ring Circus by Jeff Pearlman mentions an incident during an All-Star Game which dented Kobe’s relationship with then Brooklyn Nets forward Jayson Williams. Williams seemed offended by Kobe’s quirky behavior and was present alongside former United States President Donald Trump and Knicks forward Charles Oakley as all of this took place.
In anger, Williams tried to punch Kobe on the cheek. However, Trump came unexpectedly jumped to Bryant’s rescue at the time. However, as consequence, Williams never appreciated this incident and went on to label Kobe Bryant as a cocky and arrogant person.
Kobe Bryant was saved from Jayson Williams’ wrath by Donald Trump
Kobe Bryant had a more illustrious career in the NBA than most to ever play, winning 5 championships, 2 Final MVPs, 15 All-Star appearances, and All-Star MVP 4 times. However, his seriousness, and often touted arrogant behavior, have been criticized by several people, a fact that Kobe himself often owned up to.
During an All-Star Game at Madison Garden Square, Kobe and several other NBA stars stayed at one of Donald Trump’s hotels. While waiting for the elevator, he encountered Charles Oakley, Jayson Williams, and Donald Trump. Seeing the then-Lakers star, Williams greeted, “Hey Kobe, What’s up?” Kobe replied with a shrug, “Hey, big man,” without looking up or disconnecting his Walkman. This angered Williams, and he reacted,
“Are you f**king kidding me?”
He went ahead to try punching Kobe in the cheek. However, an unexpected person came to Kobe’s rescue. Donald Trump held Williams’ held and exclaimed the following:
“Get out of here. Quickly.”
Years later, when Williams remembers this incident, he compares Kobe to Michael Jordan’s arrogance. He says,
“Kobe was cocky to everyone. Everyone. Michael Jordan was arrogant, but with a smile. Kobe was just a dick. I didn’t appreciate it.”
We all love the Lakers legend and everything he achieved during his career. However, like every human being, he had his flaws too. And perhaps it is time the NBA community acknowledged it, rather than glorifying it as part of his ‘Mamba Mentality’.
Kobe had once punched his Lakers teammate over a $100 bill
It’s not like Kobe Bryant hasn’t had his fair share of anger fits in the league. Back in the day, the Lakers team had to place $100 bets on everyone if they could land a half-court shot. This means whichever player could bag a half-court shot would get $100 from each of his teammates.
Kobe being Kobe, was able to bag in a few $100 bills, despite competing against sharpshooters such as Robert Horry and Rick Fox. In one such instance, 6’9″ PF Samaki Walker could not pay him his due, which had agitated Bryant.
Usually, the Lakers organization follows an unsaid rule of settling debts within 48 hours. In practice ahead of their matchup against the Cavs, Bryant approached Samaki Walker in the team bus. Walker still didn’t have the money to pay Bryant and replied, “I’ll give you the money when I have it.”
An angered Kobe Bryant threw a tight punch at Walker’s right eye. This shocked everyone on the bus. Walker as astounded as everyone else reacted,
“Did this f**ker just hit me? Did he just hit me?”
Some time later, Bryant and Sami Walker settled this issue and shared their own notes of apologies for each other. The guilt of this incident haunted Kobe for quite some time. However, Samaki Walker quickly forgave Kobe and advised him to act against such immaturity. You can read all about the incident, and Shaquille O’Neal’s hilarious involvement, right here.
