Kobe Bryant is one of the greatest players of all time. In fact, most fans and analysts have Kobe in their top 10 best players to ever play the game of basketball.
- Ruben Patterson, AKA “The Kobe Stopper”
- Kobe Destroys “The Kobe Stopper”
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Kobe won five titles during his 20-year career, as well as an MVP, two Finals MVPs, and two scoring titles. There wasn’t a single player in the game who could stop Kobe one-on-one, as Kobe may be the greatest one-on-one player ever.
There have been famous stories of Kobe destroying his teammates one-on-one in practice throughout his career. It became such an interesting story that the media asked him once if he’s ever lost to a teammate in a one-on-one game:
“Nope. Not to be (cocky)… but that’s what I do,” Kobe replied.
As you can see, Kobe wasn’t bashful about his one-on-one skills. There was once a player who believed they could stop The Black Mamba.
This player actually dubbed himself “The Kobe Stopper”. The player I’m speaking of is Ruben Patterson.
Ruben Patterson, AKA “The Kobe Stopper”
Ruben Patterson played 10 seasons in the NBA for six different teams. Patterson was drafted with the 31st pick in the second round by the Vancouver Grizzlies, but the pick belonged to the Los Angeles Lakers via trade.
In his first season, Patterson was teammates with a young Kobe Bryant. It’s been said that Kobe and Patterson would play a lot of one-on-one in practice against each other.
There’s no definitive proof that Patterson ever stopped Kobe in these games. In fact, former Laker, Derek Fisher, was quoted saying this in a LA Times article from 1999:
“I was at practice every day. You don’t really have to think about what he’s saying. It’s good that he has that type of confidence, but there’s no one guy I think in this league that can stop Kobe or many other guys in this league.”
It was August 1999 when Patterson left the Lakers in free agency. This was when word started coming out that Patterson was calling himself “The Kobe Stopper”.
Kobe Destroys “The Kobe Stopper”
In their respective careers, Kobe Bryant and Ruben Patterson played each other 23 times, and in those games, Kobe wasn’t “stopped”. The Black Mamba, according to statmuse.com, averaged 29.3 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 4.8 assists per game against Patterson.
Kobe’s points average was 4.3 per game, higher than his career average. So much for playing a “Kobe Stopper”.
The game where Kobe destroyed Patterson was played on April 14, 2004. It was Kobe’s Lakers playing Patterson’s Portland Trail Blazers in Portland.
The game went into two overtimes, with the Lakers prevailing with a 105-104 victory. This game became an instant classic because of Kobe’s heroics.
With 8.0 seconds left in the fourth quarter, the Lakers trailed 87-84 against the Trail Blazers. Kobe caught the ball beyond the three-point line, with Patterson all over him.
Patterson played Kobe extremely well, blocking off his every move. But Kobe wasn’t about to let Patterson’s nickname become the truth.
Kobe threw up a ridiculous three with Patterson all over him… He made it. The game was tied at 87, with 1.1 seconds remaining.
As stated earlier, the game would go into two overtimes. At the end of the second overtime, Kobe’s heroics would be showcased again.
Kobe was the definition of clutch.
17 years ago, the Mamba hit TWO impossible buzzer-beaters vs "Kobe-Stopper" Ruben Patterson and the Blazers (via @Lakers) pic.twitter.com/2j9BuTEL5r
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) April 14, 2021
The Lakers trailed 104-102 with 1.0 seconds remaining in the second overtime. LA had the ball, and Kobe was looking to repeat his clutch shooting from the fourth quarter.
Kobe popped out of the pain, somehow wide open. He caught the ball behind the three-point line as the Trail Blazers rushed toward him.
This time, Patterson wasn’t on Kobe. Instead, it was Theo Ratliff, who tried to block Kobe, but his fingers just missed the ball.
Kobe’s three swished into the net as time expired, and the Lakers won the game. The crowd couldn’t believe it, and Kobe jumped into his teammates’ arms as he celebrated.
Kobe finished the game with 37 points on 14-31 field goals and 4-10 from three-point land. Patterson, on the other hand, scored 2 points on 1-2 shooting.
Obviously, Patterson’s job wasn’t to score; it was to defend Kobe, to be “The Kobe Stopper”. Patterson failed to live up to his nickname, but he shouldn’t feel down about it. No one could stop Kobe Bean Bryant.
