“Metta World Peace entered while Kobe Bryant was showering!”: The Lakers legend narrates how Ron Artest gave him support after the 2008 Finals loss to the Celtics

Jeet Pukhrambam | 02/06/2022
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Kobe Bryant narrates the tale of how Metta World Peace made showering after an NBA Finals the most awkward moment of his life. 

Kobe Bryant’s winning mentality is no fable. Everyone in the league is well aware of how the Mamba feels when he loses a game. Bryant is 5-2 in the NBA finals. And he does not like losing that one.

The last time he lost, the 2008 Finals against the Celtics, it was a rough one. After that, Kobe went on to go back-to-back and cemented his legacy with his 5th ring. One more than Shaq as he would say.

But today’s story is about a time when Metta World Peace or Ron Artest made it really awkward for Bryant in the shower. Keep in mind this was right after a Finals loss in 2008.

Also read: “I stopped paying attention to Michael Jordan comparisons!”: When Kobe Bryant talked about forging his own identity whilst being compared to Mike

“I was pissed beyond belief when Metta World Peace walked in the shower”- Kobe Bryant

The Celtics just beat the Lakers in 6 games and Kobe Bryant is frustrated. They had just clawed back from a 3-1 deficit only to go on and lose the next game.

Kobe was visibly frustrated after the game and by his own recollection headed straight to the shower for at least an hour or so. This is where the story gets interesting. He hears a “YO! YO Kob!”

He turns around and sees Metta World Peace who says “This ain’t gonna happen no more, I’m here now and I’m gonna help you.” Metta continues “This is not gonna happen, I’m gonna have your back.”

Kobe was touched by the sentiment and thought “maybe we could like hug it out right now, but not really!”. Did he forget they were stark naked in the shower for a moment? Oh, Kobe!

The most bizarre part of the story here is that Metta was not part of the Lakers at the time! In fact, according to Kobe, he has no idea how he even came into the locker room, let alone the shower.

The good news is that Metta’s words came true and it did not happen again. They went back-to-back the following years.

Also read: “Shaq took a $30,000,000 pay cut to join Kobe Bryant and the Lakers!”: When Jerry West convinced the Big Diesel to accept a $120 million contract

Post Edited By: Jeet Pukhrambam

About the author

Jeet Pukhrambam

Jeet Pukhrambam is The SportsRush's Lead Editor for Basketball. After freelancing for five years as an independent writer, Jeet created thousands of blog posts and articles. He now covers intriguing news reports and throwback stories on all things NBA. His interest in NBA started with the ascendancy of Giannis Antetokounmpo in the 2016-17 season. Since then, Jeet has managed to coalesce his knowledge of the game and his writing to create pieces that are reflective of the current state of the league. Now, he ensures that The SportsRush produces the highest quality of writing. In his free time, he enjoys playing football, cooking, traveling, and dancing to techno. Jeet takes pride in his critical thinking, music playlists, and his love for spaghetti.

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