Kobe Bryant was the ultimate competitor. Regardless of the outcome, Bryant would be willing to compete over almost anything. The cast of ‘Entourage’ found that out when they went early to a Lakers game and caught Kobe shooting alone, leading to the Black Mamba betting over lefty halfcourt shots and losing over $1,000. Jerry Ferrara revealed the story on the ‘Roommates Show.’
“He’s getting up shots by himself and he comes over and starts betting us for halfcourt shots lefty. He misses one, misses two, and it’s like $100 per shot. Now he’s throwing them up but he’s not missing by much.”
“He shoots five misses and he now owes each of us $500 and he walks out… Right before halftime, somebody comes and peels off five $100 bills for us and says, ‘That’s from Kobe,’ and walks off.”
Turtle (@jerryferrara) with a great Kobe Bryant story. 😂
“He starts betting us half court shots lefty”
🎥 @Roommates__Show pic.twitter.com/97UoOoCxZm
— NBA Retweet (@RTNBA) August 27, 2024
Bryant would do anything he could to push himself to be better. We know NBA players practice half-court shots all the time, even if they won’t use it in a game. Not only is it fun, but it does prepares them for future grenade-shot situations where they might have to let it fly from over 40 feet.
It’s good to see Kobe is prompt with paying his debts. He could’ve not handed over the money just as easily, with the Entourage stars likely not pursuing the bet. Regardless, it’s good to see he took care of his debts. He signed up for a challenge and couldn’t live up to it. He took the loss like a true competitor.
Kobe has tried this same bet with a reporter before, though he did convert the left-handed halfcourt shot in that instance. This led to the reporter paying off his debt by doing 200 pushups in front of Bryant.
Magic Johnson Says Kobe Bryant Would Be In GOAT Conversations If He Was Still Alive
Kobe’s position in the NBA’s pantheon of all-time greats is often relentlessly debated. While some hesitate to put him top 10, others will not entertain any world where he isn’t among the top three. Magic Johnson recently said that he believes Kobe is being forgotten from a GOAT perspective due to his 2020 passing.
“Yeah, because we know Kobe belongs in that conversation even today. Kareem, Kobe and they all wore the Purple and Gold. So I think about what Kobe meant to the game of basketball worldwide, and to me offensively he’s the second-best dude in terms of at that shooting guard, small forward positions behind Michael Jordan.
“When you think about scoring-wise nobody could stop Kobe just like nobody could stop Michael Jordan.”
Kobe averaged 25.0 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.7 assists over his career, retiring after 20 seasons with only the Los Angeles Lakers. He won five titles, two Finals MVPs, and one regular season MVP, along with appearing on 15 All-NBA Teams, 18 All-Star Teams, and 12 All-Defensive Teams.
In terms of pure accolades, many players could claim a better record than Kobe. However, Kobe’s influence on the game today is almost unparalleled, which should put him higher from a pure impact perspective. No matter where he falls on an all-time list, there’s no denying he was a certified bucket and one of the biggest icons the sport has ever seen.
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