It didn’t take much to motivate Kobe Bryant to obliterate an opposing defense. However, the Denver Nuggets made the fatal error of talking trash to the Los Angeles Lakers legend while he was having a quiet game and instantly regretted it. In an interview with Complex Magazine, Hall of Famer Allen Iverson recalled being on the receiving end of a Kobe Bryant masterclass.
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In Game 2 of the first-round playoff series between the Lakers and the Nuggets, Bryant got off to a hot start, scoring 20 points in the first two quarters. However, in the next two, he only scored five points each. Nuggets star Kenyon Martin started chirping at the Lakers superstar during his cold spell. Iverson revealed:
“They were going back and forth with each other, and Kenyon was like, ‘You put your sneakers like I put on mine, you put on your uniform like I put on mine. I ain’t scared of you. I’d beat your…’ Going crazy with him. And I’m sitting there like, ‘Oh my God.’ Because [Bryant] has been quiet.”
Martin’s trash talk was all Bryant needed. He scored 19 points in a stretch that spanned a little over four minutes in the fourth quarter to set up a comfortable Lakers win. He finished the game with 49 points, ten assists, and four rebounds, leading the Lakers to a 122-107 win. Iverson spoke about the experience of watching Bryant humiliate the Nuggets, saying:
“This man started going crazy. I mean, dunks, threes, midrange. I mean killing us. I think he had like 49 or something. Somebody was shooting a free throw and he was like, ‘Chuck, I was chilling. And they shook the tree and the Mamba fell out.’ That was my fondest moment when it came to him.”
Iverson had a terrific outing, too, scoring 31 points and dishing six assists. However, Bryant’s fourth-quarter explosion was too much for the former MVP and his team to overcome.
Even back then, it was common knowledge that Kobe Bryant shared Michael Jordan’s mentality. So really, by talking smack to him, Kenyon Martin only signed his own, and the Denver Nuggets’ death warrants. After all, Kobe was never going to let that type of behavior slide.
The Lakers swept the Nuggets 4-0 and reached the NBA Finals, where they lost in six games to the Boston Celtics. Bryant fed off the frustration of that setback and led the Lakers to two straight NBA titles in the subsequent two years.
Allen Iverson’s affection for Kobe Bryant
Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant’s on-court rivalry was one-sided. The two met twice in the playoffs, and the Lakers superstar won both series with a combined record of 8-1. However, Iverson has never held a grudge against Bryant. He has advocated for him to be in the GOAT debate. In an interview with Rachel Nichols for the Showtime series Headliners, Iverson claimed Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant were the two best players in NBA history. He said:
“I’ve never seen nobody as competitive as [Kobe Bryant] but Mike. Like, when people talk about your favorite players, or the best players in the world, I say Mike, and I say Kobe, you know what I mean? And then everybody else.”
Iverson’s adulation for Bryant is understandable. He saw the Lakers superstar operate firsthand in his prime and win five championships in 11 years. The respect was mutual. When Iverson earned his Hall of Fame nod in 2016, Bryant was asked about his impact. The Lakers star revealed how Iverson’s 41-point performance against him made him obsess about his defensive skills. He said:
I saw Iverson and told him, ‘You don’t realize how much you pushed me.’ 1999 in Philadelphia. I think he had 41 on me. I remember being on the bus saying, ‘you know what? I’ve got to become one of the best defensive players of all-time because I can’t have this happen.’ That’s a direct result of what AI did to me that night in Philadelphia.
The following season, Bryant earned his first All-Defensive first-team nod. He earned 12 All-Defensive nods during his career due to the one time Iverson destroyed him.
The duo did a lot of heavy lifting for their respective teams in their primes. At times, they single-handedly dragged their rosters to the playoffs. Both were revered for their ability to take over a game and lead their teams to victories. Iverson and Bryant are two of the most skilled players in NBA history, and it’s endearing to see the respect these competitors had for each other.
