“Kobe Bryant Was a Sidekick”: Gilbert Arenas Doesn’t Think the Lakers Legend Was One of the ‘Coldest Killers’ in the NBA

Kobe Bryant’s status in the GOAT debate may be a highly contested topic, but nobody has ever doubted the Black Mamba’s ruthlessness as a closer in the NBA. He was feared for his clutch instincts and regarded as a ‘cold-blooded killer’ when on the court. However, Gilbert Arenas, who’s a self-proclaimed Kobe fan, doesn’t seem to think that’s the case.

He got into a spirited argument with his co-hosts on the Gil’s Arena show about who is more of a cold-blooded killer between Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Michael Jordan.

Arenas claimed that since Kobe won three of his five rings as a second option to Shaquille O’Neal, he didn’t deserve to be in the conversation of the ‘coldest killers’ in the league. That honor is reserved for players who were the first choice in all of their rings, like Michael Jordan (6 Finals MVPs with 6 rings) and LeBron James (4 Finals MVPs with 4 rings).

He did admit that Bryant became a ‘killer’ after Shaq’s departure, but it was too late to actually have any effect on his place in the conversation.

“I’m [Kobe is] the sidekick, I’m not the main. The guy who had three championships by the age of 22, he wasn’t the main guy, like I mean we love him, but are we gonna talk real sport? He was the sidekick until he got rid of Shaq and won 2 for himself.”

Arenas backed his point up by talking about Dwyane Wade. Despite Wade winning one ring as the best player on the team, he played second fiddle to James for his other two, so in Gil’s eyes, he’s a sidekick too, and not a ‘killer’.

Brandon Jennings wanted to point out that Kobe was drafted by the Lakers, so he can’t be the second option. But in all fairness, Dwyane Wade was the first option to LeBron James in Miami by that logic, which was far from the truth.

Arenas has a point, no doubt. But it doesn’t necessarily disqualifies Kobe from being a cold-blooded killer.

Kobe Bryant was a killer

Bryant’s game evolved after Shaq’s departure, and even though he had some rough years in LA, he proved that he was indeed, a cold-blooded killer by winning two more Championships as the bus driver, as Charles Barkley often puts it. Kobe was the main guy on the Lakers team that went back to back in ’09 and ’10.

Arenas’ argument can place MJ and LeBron at the top of the hierarchy of cold-blooded killers. But it doesn’t disqualify Kobe from being one. Not many in the NBA has quite the NBA Finals resume that the Mamba flaunts.

For those still unconvinced about his status, nothing advertises Kobe’s killer mentality more than the game-winner he hit against the Raptors in 2012. The Lakers were down 1 against Toronto with 7 seconds left, and Kobe took it upon himself to make sure they walked away with the win.

He shook two defenders off him, drove to the baseline, and pulled up to put the Lakers ahead by 1 point. A pretty standard shot for him, but what made this memorable were the words he said to the Raptors bench just before the play.

According to DeMar DeRozan, who was tasked with guarding Bryant, Kobe had walked past their team huddle and said, “You know y’all left me too much time right?” 

A typical Kobe thing to say, and definitely indicative of a cold-blooded killer.