Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players of all time. Bryant had a career that most players could only dream of, find success at the highest level of the game. Bryant played for 20 years in the NBA and racked up a lot of accolades during his time. Bryant won his first NBA championship in 2000, just four years after entering the league.
He became a 3-time NBA Champion and perennial All-Star by 2002. By 2010, Bryant had become a league MVP, a 5-time NBA Champion, and a 2-time Finals MVP. Bryant’s career was one of the most illustrious in the league and will be remembered as one of the best in the NBA.
But the NBA wasn’t the only league that Bryant played in. In 2011, the NBA went into a lockout with the NBPA over the collective bargaining agreement. Because of this, the 2011-12 season became shortened, and players began playing in Pro-Am leagues to keep themselves sharp.
One of the leagues that became a hub for stars was the Drew League. Several players like LeBron James and James Harden among others took part in the league. And in 2011, Kobe Bryant also joined the ranks.
Kobe played his first Drew League game in 2011. Kobe immediately started lighting it up, hitting a wonderful spin move to get to the basket. After doing that, Bryant remarked on the bench “That’s Mamba 101 right there. Pull-ups, spin”.
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Bryant went on to score right in future MVP James Harden’s face. Bryant and Harden were going at each other the entire game. The game ended with an intense finale. The police escorts that came with Bryant asked him to leave with them.
But being the competitor that he was, Bryant refused because the game was still up for grabs. That is when Bryant sank a solid game-winning shot in Harden’s face. It was a solid performance by one of the NBA’s best players at the time.
Kobe would continue his career in the NBA over the next five years. While he never reached another NBA Finals, due to issues with teammates and injury concerns, Bryant remained an All-Star for the last years of his career, before ultimately calling time on his career in 2016.
Bryant’s performance in the Drew League was incredible and allowed fans to see a more laid-back side of Kobe. But despite it being a Pro-Am league, Kobe continued to approach the game with the same mentality he always did.
