Allen Iverson and Kobe Bryant weren’t as close as AI would have wanted to be, but they still shared many memories together. They will always be linked with each other as they came to the league in the same year.
Iverson was drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers with the No. 1 overall pick in 1996, while Kobe was selected by Charlotte with the 13th overall pick before being traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in one of the best trades in NBA history.
Their careers had different developments, but at some point in time, these two were arguably the two best players in the NBA. They had incredible duels, even clashing in the NBA Finals in 2001, with Kobe taking home his second of three straight championships against the Sixers.
Allen Iverson Tells The Incredible Story Of Kobe Bryant Going To The Gym After Meeting Iverson
Whenever they had the chance, they could go out and talk, and Kobe once wanted to catch up with the Answer, taking him out for dinner before going back to his routine. Back in 2020, a couple of months after Bryant was tragically killed in a fatal helicopter trash, Iverson sat down with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson on ‘All the Smoke.’
Jackson asked AI about the famous story of Kobe telling him he was going to the gym while Iverson was ready to hit the club (1:22:06).
“He took me out to eat, and I said, “what you’re getting ready to do? I’m going to the club.’ And he said, ‘I’m going to the gym.’ And that was him. That was it. That’s what made that greatness, that’s where that greatness came from because his work ethic was just…”
There’s no doubt that these two are huge legends, but Kobe Bryant is right there at the top with the likes of Michael Jordan or LeBron James. AI actually considers him second to Michael Jordan on his all-time ranking, showing how much respect he has for Bryant.
They were close to playing together, but the Philadelphia 76ers never made a move for Kobe. Had they played together, they would have been incredibly great, or Kobe would have taken issue with Iverson’s poor work ethic. We’ll never know, but we know that they had the utmost respect for each other, and nothing could change that.
We sincerely appreciate and respect you as a reader of our site. It would help us a lot if you follow us on Google News because of the latest update.
Thanks for following us. We really appreciate your support.
