Kobe Bryant was cold-blooded when he was on the floor. The Mamba was ruthless and unfazed when he was locked in and there wasn’t much anyone could do to throw him off of his game. And that’s not to say they didn’t try. Perhaps the best example of this was in 2010 when during a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic, Matt Barnes faked the ball as if to hit Kobe in the face and Bryant didn’t even flinch.
Barnes has spoken about what motivated him to do that in the past, explaining that Kobe was a pest and someone that got away consistently with fouling and elbowing and getting inside the heads of his opponents. However, speaking to JJ Redick on the Old Man and the Three podcast recently, the ex-NBA player claimed that he hadn’t exactly planned it and that it was just something that happened.
“[Purely intentional.] Oh yea, 100%, I just don’t know where it came from, like, it wasn’t like I was thinking about doing it, like, my arms fucking did it by themselves. I promise you.”
Barnes was a feisty character during his playing days in the NBA and him doing this to Kobe led Bryant to get him to join the Lakers after that. Barnes was on the Lakers for two years, although this was right after they won their 2 titles and he didn’t enjoy a lot of success during the 2 years he spent playing next to Kobe.
But as wild as Barnes’ fake towards Kobe’s face was, what made it even more of a memorable exchange was Kobe’s utter lack of a reaction. The focus he showed there is exactly what helped him lead the Lakers to 2 championships after having brought three to the franchise alongside Shaq earlier in his career. Even though Kobe may be gone, this is why he remains an icon in the eyes of all NBA fans.
