Gilbert Arenas called himself the ‘Black Mongoose’ after scoring 60 points on Kobe Bryant in a win vs the Lakers.
Knowing the spirit with which Kobe Bryant played basketball, it is fair to say trash-talking him was not a good idea. In one such instance, Gilbert Arenas trash-talked Kobe Bryant after beating the Lakers in an overtime thriller in 2006.
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Gil called himself the Black Mongoose, as in nature, it wins over the ‘Black Mamba’. Even though this happened over a phone call, Mamba warned Gil to remember the incident and of what was to come in the future. He said – “Keep the same energy when I come to DC.”
In the following matchup, Gil managed to score 37 points. However, it was Kobe’s 39 that led the Lakers to victory on the road. Even though the matchup happened two months after the trash-talking incident, Kobe remembered all of it. Former Wizards center Brandon Haywood in a recent interview revealed –
“I thought Kobe forgot. Two months later, I’m not even thinking about it. He did not shake anybody’s hand, he walked up to Gil, slapped him on his butt, and said, ‘Remember you asked for this, and make sure you guard me the way I’m gonna guard you.’ He gave us 45, the meanest points I’ve ever seen.”
Kobe Bryant was a vengeful beast. Just like ‘The Black Mamba’, he never forgets.
In a recent interview, Gilbert Arenas recalls his memory of the incident.
“I got respected more from him on that game because I didn’t back down. The top-tier people, respect someone who comes at them. No, like you think he puts in hours and hours and hours of work for you to back down. No, he wants your best. So after that game, it’s like when we like really came close.”
Kobe Bryant did not forget this incident even after his retirement. In an interview with NBC Sports, Arenas shared a story about meeting Kobe Bryant and his daughter in 2020. Kobe introduced Arenas to Gigi saying – “This is the son of a *#$% that dropped 60 on me.” Gigi had a shocking response – “Yeah, he talks about you all the time.”
Gil really earned his respect in the eye of the Mamba. He approached Kobe after his retirement to help him discover what next. Bryant advised Arenas to stop “being an internet troll” and put his basketball knowledge to good use for the next generation of players.
There are numerous stories of Kobe’s trash-talking and his inhuman competitive spirit. However, only a handful of players could earn his respect, and Gil definitely was one of them.
