“He Want Somebody Like ‘I’m Gonna Bust Your A**'”: Kobe Bryant’s Competitive Mentality Gets Broken Down by Gilbert Arenas

On the latest episode of Podcast P, retired NBA star Gilbert Arenas spoke about his battles with Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant. The former Washington Wizards star shed light on the Los Angeles Lakers icon’s competitive nature. Describing the Mamba’s mentality and his love for challenges, Arenas revealed that the five-time NBA champion yearned for players to challenge rather than revere him.

He said,

“It was like real competition. Like Kob is one of those dudes where he wanted an assassin to go against him. He didn’t want, ‘Hey, I’m a big fan of yours, man.’ Nah. He wanted somebody like, ‘Yo, I’m about to bust your a*s tonight.’ And you going at him. Like, he wanted that.”

The former Magic guard also revealed an interesting anecdote related to Kobe. Pre-game, Arenas would go to the court to practice alone, however, Kobe would be there already, making the Wizards star wait for him to wind up his session.

Arenas revealed that Bryant noticed this. During the 2005-06 season, the Lakers superstar used to start his pre-game session late and train until the rest of the players on both teams arrived for shootarounds, only to mess with the Wizards star’s pre-game routine. Arenas understood Bryant’s tactics,

“I was like, ‘Oh, so this is what we doing now?’ He’s holding me hostage so can’t get any shots up. Alright, bet.”

The following season, Arenas had revenge on his mind. He practiced on one side of the court while Bryant worked out on the other, using his trainer to grab the 2008 NBA MVP’s attention, “I asked [the trainer], ‘Hey, is [Kobe] looking?’ He was like, ‘Nah. His back’s turned.’ So I was like, ‘Alright. Listen. I’m just gonna shoot. Then even just start like ’35 in a row. 36 in a row. 37 in a row.’ I said let me know when he look.”

Interestingly, the trick worked for Gil as he was able to accomplish his purpose, “So he’s saying it out loud and Kobe looked. He said Kobe’s looking right now, I was like, ‘Yeah, I’m done. I’m done.’ I was like, ‘Hell yeah, got his a*s. Made his a*s look.'”

Later that day, the Wizards beat the Lakers 147-141 in overtime. Arenas scored a career-high 60 points, with 16 coming in overtime, while Bryant scored 45 in an incredible encounter in LA. After this game, the duo battled five more times during their careers. Bryant lost only once and beat Arenas four times.

Bryant sought players who weren’t afraid to have a go at him and wanted those stars to be his teammates, like Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace, also called Ron Artest. Bryant even tested his teammates and opponents to know who was worthy of his time, energy, and respect. Even Arenas took a page out of his book to get better mentally.

Kobe Bryant helped Gilbert Arenas get stronger

In the 2006 Eastern Conference first-round series between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards, LeBron James and Co. led 3-2. With 15.4 seconds left in Game 6, Gilbert Arenas was at the free-throw line and had the chance to extend his team’s lead to three. Right before he shot his first free throw, James walked up to him, saying if he missed, the Wizards would lose the series.

Sure enough, Arenas missed both free throws, and James assisted Damon Jones’ game-winning three-pointer that ended the series. When the Wizards star returned to practice following the season-ending loss, he was asked about the missed free throws. On the No Chill podcast, Arenas said,

“I didn’t even think about the free throws. That put doubt [in my mind]. I need to do something about this…’Find me a Black Ops guy.”

Arenas learned that Kobe Bryant was working with a Black Ops agent from San Francisco. Arenas sought the same agent, worked out with him, and got mentally and physically stronger. He had a terrific 2006-07 season, averaging 28.4 points, six assists, and 4.6 rebounds. Bryant’s approval of the agent’s methods was all Arenas needed to pursue him and follow his lead.