Kobe Bryant, apart from his time, grew up in Philadelphia. He believed the town to be his home. But Philadelphia didn’t feel the same way. They treated him like an outsider. A wannabe Philadelphian who was more Italian than a native. Instead, Philly loved Allen Iverson. The prodigal adopted son who had taken the NBA by storm. For them, Bryant was a man who had killed their dreams of a title in 2001.
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The 2001 Finals had been brutal for the Sixers and Philadelphia. Iverson scored 48 in Game 1 and the Sixers won it in OT. However, the rest of the series was a crushing loss. They lost 4 games in a row and Kobe Bryant and the Lakers won their second championship in two years.
Apparently, after game 3, Bryant had told a fan, “We’re going to cut their hearts out.” This had increased the animosity between the 6ft 6″ guard and the Sixers fans. When Kobe finally won the 2002 All-Star MVP, Philadelphia retaliated.
Kobe Bryant broke down after Philadelphia fans booed him
Now, it’s a well-documented fact that Kobe was hurt after getting booed by Philadelphia fans. But not many know that he actually broke down into tears. Jeff Pearlman, the author Three-Ring Circus, detailed the event in his book.
He wrote how, after the game, Bryant met with Slam Magazine’s Scoop Jackson, apparently distraught with what had happened. Scoop revealed that Kobe Bryant was crying.
Jeff Pearlman: “Eight months later, at the 2002 All-Star Game, also in Philadelphia, he was booed while accepting the MVP trophy, a blow that bled scarlet. As he walked off the floor, Bryant was greeted by Scoop Jackson, the Slam magazine writer whose cozy relationships with players crossed the athlete/journalist line. “Scoop, I don’t understand it,” Bryant said, tears streaming down his cheeks.”
Shaq and Kobe dominated the 76ers in the 2001 Finals
Having won Game 1 of the Finals, Philadelphia felt Allen Iverson could really lead them to their third championship. However, Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal had different plans.
The Lakers duo was quite literally unstoppable and the only Sixers player who could even hope to play on their level was Iverson but even that wasn’t enough.
Mamba averaged 24.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists in the series. Meanwhile, Shaquille O’Neal, at his peak, averaged 33 points and 15.8 rebounds. There was no way the Sixers could have stopped these two.
