Gilbert Arenas was going to cross Kobe Bryant up in the first possession of the 2007 All-Star Game, however, Agent 0 embarrassed himself.
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Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest athletes the sporting world has seen. The Black Mamba had a crazy obsession with being the best version of himself, and this dedicated him to being regarded as the GOAT.
The sheer competitive spirit helps him set himself apart from the rest of the superstars. At the conclusion of his illustrious career, Kobe retired with 18 All-Star appearances, 15 All-NBA selections, 12 All-Defensive selections, 5 possessed and his fixation to be the best at any given point is what championships, 2 Finals MVPs and even an MVP.
Bryant was an assassin on the court. Having one of the deepest offensive arsenals, defenders feared going up against the Lakers legend. However, the Hall-Of-Famer did face a few worthy opponents throughout the course of his career.
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Gilbert Arenas was one of these players who matched up well against the Mamba. However, this one time Agent 0 completely embarrassed himself.
Kobe Bryant outscored Gilbert Arenas and won the 2007 All-Star Game MVP
Back in 2007, before the All-Star Game tipped off, Arenas seemed confident that he would cross Kobe up in the first possession itself and “yank” him. Gilbert told Vince Carter during the pregame shootaround:
“Aye, watch how bad I cross Kobe up… Ima yank him. Hai-hooya! Get over here!”
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Arenas did end up taking the first shot of the clash, however, embarrassing himself, Arenas bricked the shot.
Further, Kobe being Kobe, he ended up finishing the bout with 31 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 6 steals, and took home the All-Star Game MVP.
On the other hand, Gilbert, who was going to embarrass Kobe, ended up scoring merely 8 points, 1 rebound, and 4 assists.
Clearly, Bryant must’ve overheard Arenas and decided to teach the then-Wizards star a lesson.
