Kobe Bryant was an enigmatic personality to figure out when it came to other players guarding him in the league. Kobe was practically impossible to guard. In a recent appearance on Paul George’s Podcast P, Clippers’ player development coach and former teammate of LeBron James at the Cavaliers, Dahntay Jones described his experience guarding the late Lakers guard during his playing days in the NBA.
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Jones has played for eight different NBA teams in his fourteen seasons in the league and has considerable experience playing against Kobe during his time in the league. Speaking to George and the other podcast panelists, Jones described Bryant as a relentless athlete with a mental approach of seeking every game as a challenge.
During the 2008-09 campaign, when Jones’ Denver Nuggets played Kobe’s Lakers at the Western Conference Finals, Bryant had figured out the Nuggets’ minutes structure for each player. This helped him meticulously study the game of every player from the team, making him inherently resistant to Jones guarding him during offense.
However, scouting Kobe for the upcoming seasons seemed like a mammoth task for other teams. Most teams would rather play their best on the field to beat the might of the Black Mamba. Hence, Jones had to be much more aggressive while grabbing the ball or stopping Kobe from shooting. Furthermore, knowing Kobe’s prowess, the Nuggets players had put bounties on their defensive rules guarding the Lakers superstar. Hence, every time Kobe made a move against the Nuggets, the players failing to guard him would have to pay their bounties.
Jones’ ultra-aggressive defense against Kobe made him infamous among Lakers fans. The former Nuggets player explained, “If you [Kobe Bryant] get a layup, I lose money, I get cussed out. They got pictures of me, Chauncey, and Kenyon arguing because I wasn’t physical enough.”
Well, it was perhaps up to no player or team to really figure out how to stop Kobe. The Mamba was a relentless player with his approach and a formidable opponent for his rival teams. Perhaps his unwavering dedication and competitiveness in basketball made Kobe one of the greatest players ever.
No other player ever figured out how to stop Kobe Bryant
Rarely has any player admitted it was easy for them to stop Kobe Bryant from scoring. Bryant was always one of the most formidable players of the game and had the ability to take on an entire team all by himself as well. Even 2x NBA champion Kevin Durant resonates with this statement and regards Kobe as the most clutch NBA player. Durant described his matchup against the late Lakers legend: “I was scared sh*tless vs. Kobe.”
Celtics player Tony Allen was one of the only players whom Kobe regarded as one of the best defenders he had ever faced. However, to reach that mark, Allen used to study the Mamba’s game for hours and even fell asleep watching him on film. Allen had figured much of Bryant’s moves were similar to that of the great Michael Jordan. Allen’s work ethic was definitely worth it, as it earned him 6x All-Defense team selections and helped him contribute immensely to the Celtics’ run against the Lakers for the 2008 NBA Finals.
