Kobe Bryant was a master trash-talker, many of his NBA peers have attested to that. What really made his trash-talking stand out is the fact that he could back it up with his game. Kobe would run his mouth while running the opposition out of the gym. During one such instance, he didn’t even spare 6x NBA champion Scottie Pippen.
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On X, a video from the early 2000s of Bryant cussing out the then Portland Trail Blazers forward Scottie Pippen has gone viral. In the clip, Kobe can be seen making a spin move as Pippen flops and falls on the floor.
As the refs refused to call a charging foul after noticing Pippen’s bluff, Bryant used his hang-time beautifully and nailed a pretty mid-range jumper from around the free-throw line.
As he walked back down the court, Bryant couldn’t contain his annoyance at Pip’s flopping maneuvers. He stared at the Bulls legend and said, “Get Up B***ch!”
“Get up Bitch” – Kobe to Pippen after he flopped 🤣 pic.twitter.com/T1TPAFKHiA
— Lukas (@KBsLakeShow24) October 18, 2024
This video is a testimony of the heated rivalry days between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Portland Trail Blazers. It is likely from the 2000 Western Conference Finals.
Bryant, who was still in his early 20s, helped the Lakers seal the deal in Game 7 of the series, which paved the way for his famous alley-oop pass to Shaquille O’Neal that marked the beginning of the duo’s domination in the NBA.
The Pippen-Bryant rivalry would reach its peak when the Trail Blazers and the Lakers met in the first round of the 2001 playoffs. In Game 1 of the 2000 WCF re-match, Bryant dropped 28 points on 45% shooting from the floor in a 13-point victory for his Lakers.
As per the Lakers medical staff, he was playing with broken ribs. But Pippen discredited the injury. After the game, Pip argued that Bryant was making excuses because he couldn’t pull off a big-time performance like his former teammate Michael Jordan used to against his rivals.
In Game 2, Pippen would hit Bryant intentionally in his ribs in a fastbreak situation to emphasize his point. The Trail Blazers Wing was frustrated because his team was trailing by 19 points with less than five minutes to go.
The Lakers guard finished the game with 25 points on an excellent 72.7% shooting from the field for a 18-point win. The Lakers closed out the Trail Blazers comfortably in Game 3 in the Best of Three series.
The young Mamba didn’t care about Pippen’s status as a six-time NBA champion and let him know that he is replacing Michael Jordan as the face of the league.
Pippen, who had seen Jordan doing the same to other NBA veterans, was on the receiving end this time. Fittingly, he was one of the first major stars in the league that Kobe took down to start a superb journey that would bring him five championships.
Scottie Pippen would acknowledge Bryant’s rare talent two decades after being humbled by the Mamba. During an interview with Thuzio in 2020, he argued that Bryant’s NBA journey is more impressive than that of MJ because he honed his craft at the pro-level right after completing his high-school.
