Before Luka Doncic emerged as the star we know him as today, Kobe Bryant knew he’d be targeted by his peers.
In a recent episode of The Old Man & the Three podcast, the Mavericks star revealed the advice Bryant gave him not long after being drafted. And, according to Doncic, his words proved to be true.
Alter: “I was going to ask you about the story with him [Kobe] no the sidelines, speaking Slovenian to you. Did you have any other relationship with him? Is that the only time you met him? We have a lot of guys who come on the show and idolize him and they spend months and years sometimes with him, just learning from him. Did you have any other perspective on what he brought to the game?”
Doncic: “Actually I met him before, it was in Portland. Just after I was drafted, I think, it was the Nike campus,” Doncic said. “He was there, and the one advice he gave me was, ‘Watch out, they’re gonna come after you because you’re from Europe. They’re gonna try and go after you.’ And it was true.”
Of course, the most famous moment between Luka and the Lakers legend happened during a game in Staples Center. During one play, Doncic heard someone on the sidelines say some bad words in Slovenian. That “someone” happened to be Kobe, who ended up posing for a picture after the game.
“Yeah, I mean he said some bad words in my language, you know. I was like, ‘who is talking to me in my language?’ I was like, just looked behind and it was Kobe. So I was just… It was something amazing. I would never forget this day. And after the game, I came, took a picture with him. He was one of the guys I looked up to. That day was amazing and I’ll never forget this,” Doncic told Inside the NBA.
It was a great moment between the two that really highlights Kobe’s character. The same could be said for their meeting in the summer of 2018.
Although Luka’s career has been impressive so far, it hasn’t come without challenges. As a European native, he was targeted by other players and had to adjust to his new life more than most rookies.
Bryant must have seen what kind of player he was back then. He warned Luka, which might have better prepared him for the transition to the NBA.
