Brandon Jennings recalls an incident when Kobe Bryant utterly demoralized him despite his achievements in the NBA till that point.
Advertisement
Brandon Jennings was one of the most precocious talents in the NBA as a rookie. He dropped 55 points within his first few weeks in the Association, putting everyone on notice.
However, after a couple of middling years in Milwaukee, Jennings’ ceiling proved too low to invest in the future. The Bucks began their tanking process and shunted him out.
Jennings had a brief resurgence during his stint with the Detroit Pistons in the 2013-14 season. However, injuries cut short what could have been a great comeback for the then-24-year-old.
Also Read – When Kobe Bryant Gave Young Larry Nance Jr. His Silent Respect After Nasty Poster vs Stephen Curry
Brandon Jennings recalls a Kobe Bryant incident
Brandon Jennings last played an NBA game in the 2017-18 season with the team who’d drafted him – the Milwaukee Bucks. Following a spell with Zenit St Petersburg in Russia, he retired from the game aged 29.
He remains the youngest player in NBA history to record a 50-point game. Jennings was recently interviewed by Josiah Johnson for the Sway Podcast. A particularly amusing section came by when they talked about his experience with Kobe Bryant. Jennings described it thus:
“Man, my first Kobe Bryant moment? Man, he gave me a look and I’m like ‘This dude is serious!’. Like it was my rookie year and I had already scored 55. And this was when he hit the game-winner in Milwaukee.”
“So he came on the court seriously and looked at me like that. It was just more like ‘You ain’t s**t, little ni**a!’. Like one of those looks. And I’m like ‘Ok! It’s on!'”
“I remember him missing a game-winner, going to the same spot and hitting the shot. And then, you know, making the game-winner.”
Also Read – “Michael Jordan, enjoy your salad”: When Kobe Bryant shut down the GOAT for trashtalking at the dinner table
Kobe remains an inspiration for youngsters even in death
It has been over 3 years since Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and 8 others died in a tragic helicopter crash. However, Bryant continues to be a luminary of the basketball world even in death.
The impact of his work ethic and his style is evident in many of today’s stars. Players like Jayson Tatum, Devin Booker and DeMar DeRozan – to name a few – have all been heavily influenced by him.
Kobe Bryant may not be the GOAT, but he certainly has had a GOAT-like impact on generations after him.
