Former NBA All-Star Kenyon Martin reveals why the toughest of tough defenders would hate playing against Kobe Bryant.
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Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest icons the sporting world has been privileged to witness. After dedicating uncountable hours in the gym, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Black Mamba really reached the pinnacle of the game at the end of his career.
Bean had a work ethic unlike any others and had a crazy obsession with perfecting his craft. The sheer competitive spirit he possessed and his fixation to be the best at any given point is what help him set apart from the rest of the superstars.
Kobe really had one of the most decorated resumes in NBA history. At the conclusion of his illustrious 20-yar career, the 6-foot-6 shooting guard had 18 All-Star appearances, 15 All-NBA selections, 12 All-Defensive selections, 5 championships, 2 Finals MVPs and even an MVP. Knocking down almost 12,000 shots throughout his career, there was virtually no player who completely stopped Kobe. Being such a prolific scorer, players would absolutely hate playing against Kobe Bryant.
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”Kobe Bryant will literally take your head off to win the game”: Kenyon Martin
Back in 2017, former Denver Nuggets big man Kenyon Martin was asked to mention the five guys everyone hated playing against from his era. K-Mart mentioned a few tough players like Kevin Garnett, Ron Artest, Reggie Evans and even former Jazz coach Jerry Sloan, Martin spoke about Kobe Bryant’s addition to that list.
In a “The Players’ Tribune” article, Kenyon wrote:
“People can say whatever they want about Kobe, but Kobe don’t take no shit from nobody. Kobe would fight you in a minute. He would. That’s something I think a lot of fans didn’t know. People think of Kobe for all that skillful basketball stuff, but not for the fact that, if you stepped up to him, he’d fight back. Or if you clubbed him or hit him, he’d make you pay.”
The All-Star even spoke about the Mamba’s unreal passion to win games.
“That’s ’cause Mamba would literally take your head off to win the game, man. He’d fuck you up. There’s a lot of trash talking on the court, but nobody ever said shit to Kobe.”
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Matching up against a dedicated player who is willing to give his 100% during every second and possession of all his games for 2 decades is definitely a valid reason to hate playing against somebody. Despite giving his defenders a hard time, Kobe Bean Bryant was one guy each and every player paid their utmost respects to.
