In one of Kobe’s most savage career moments, he famously called out Paul Pierce after tearing his Achilles tendon in a game. As the seriousness of his injury became apparent, the Lakers training staff prepared a wheelchair for Bryant to be taken back to the locker room. Instead, as recently told by former Lakers trainer Gary Viti, Bryant refused the item and replied with “f*ck Paul Pierce” in reference to his infamous wheelchair incident in the 2008 Finals.
“Then he walked back to shoot the free throws… I asked him if he wanted a chair. He looked down at me and said, ‘F— Paul Pierce!’ You remember in 2008 when Paul Pierce went off on a wheelchair, came back and then kicked our ass. That’s pretty impressive stuff. He lost his mind in the trainer’s room and was throwing Gatorade bottles,” said Viti in a recent conversation with Sportskeeda. “But before he left that room, he already started his path back. He wanted surgery the following morning.”
Nobody knows what actually happened in the wheelchair game, as Pierce has given conflicting stories on what happened. Regardless of the details, Kobe had a front-row seat to the event and he wanted to make sure he didn’t end up in a similar position. Of course, the Lakers star wouldn’t receive news of his Achilles injury until later, but he knew right away that something was wrong. So for him to still play it cool and take a shot at an old rival in the process is something that speaks a lot about the kind of player Kobe was throughout his career and about how fearless he was even in the face of life-changing news.
2012-13 NBA Season Was The Final Masterpiece From Kobe Bryant
Bryant’s season ended in disaster with his Achilles injury that night, but it was an impressive season overall and one of the last great stretches of his career. At 34 years old, he averaged 27.3 points, 6.0 assists, and 5.6 rebounds per game on 46% shooting. Despite being on a team with Dwight Howard and the legendary Steve Nash, the Lakers were mediocre all season long and Kobe had to fight hard just to keep them within striking distance. Somehow, by the end of the season, Bryant had successfully moved the Lakers into the playoff picture and they were only a few games from the first round before Bryant’s injury essentially ended their season.
Dwight Howard left the team that summer in favor of the Houston Rockets and Steve Nash was never able to establish himself as a starting level point guard again at almost 40 years old. Bryant played for three more seasons after his Achilles tear but he was a shell of himself and the Lakers were an absolute joke on the court, enduring their worst stretch in franchise history. By all accounts, the 2012-13 campaign was the last dance for Kobe, and it’s why so many fans still hold that stretch in such a high regard. For Bryant, his Achilles tear at the end was nothing short of heartbreaking as it forever changed his NBA career but he was able to find peace with how it went down and he embraced the challenge of coming back to retire on his own terms.
“Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We really appreciate your support”
