“You Fight Him”: Pitted Against a Much Bigger Kid, 5-Year-Old Kobe Bryant Overcame Crying to Face Bout with Brown Belt Karate Partner

Kobe Bryant’s legacy transcends his exploits on the NBA hardwood and his contributions to the game of basketball. The Mamba’s relentless pursuit to conquer his own mind and compete with determination when the odds were stacked against him has appealed to millions of people from different fields of interest. Even at the tender age of five, he never backed away from a fight when he had every reason to. Jeff Pearlman noted in his 2020 book Three-Ring Circus, how Kobe fought against a much bigger and more experienced opponent as a child.

The Mamba’s tragic passing in 2020 has left a deep void in the hearts of NBA fans. However, his legacy still lives on, as people from all around the world continue to be inspired by his Mamba mentality. While Kobe developed his iron-strong mindset throughout the course of his basketball career, he had the ingredients for it since he was a toddler.

A 5-year-old Kobe Bryant wiped his tears to fight a much taller and stronger kid

While Kobe worked like a madman to achieve greatness, the seeds of his legendary career were planted by his parents at an early age. The Bryants had enrolled Kobe to a Houston dojo when he was just five years old to strengthen their child’s body and mind. Conflict builds character, there’s no doubt about that.

And the conflict appeared pretty soon as Kobe started progressing toward a yellow belt. His teacher decided to pit him against a much stronger opponent, both in terms of physical strength and experience. A five-year-old Kobe started crying after finding out that he was being asked to fight a significantly taller, and heavier kid with a brown belt.

Pearlman transcribes the incident in his book, “Kobe began to cry, to which the instructor responded, ‘You fight him!’ Little Kobe stepped forward and swung away.”

This incident shows how Bryant tended to take on adversities head-on, even at the age of five, defying all odds. However, Kobe’s experience fighting a much bigger opponent would come in handy during his fistfight with Shaquille O’Neal.

Kobe admitted that fighting Shaq was an insane decision

During his 2018 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Kobe was asked about his fistfight with Shaq during a practice session when they both played for the Lakers. The five-time NBA Champion instantly admitted that fighting Shaq was a crazy decision, especially considering the big man’s fist seemed almost the size of a volleyball when he threw a punch.

The Mamba also confirmed that Shaq threw the first punch after a back-and-forth between them had went haywire. However, Kobe’s Mamba Mentality compelled him to swing back in response, instead of backing away.