Kobe Bryant and Raja Bell were rivals for a long time and they starred very controversial moments throughout their careers. One of the most memorable happened in the 2006 NBA playoffs when the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Lakers were playing, Bell clotheslines Kobe in Game 5 of the series; after the play, Kobe just brushed his shoulders.
Following that, both players were interviewed. Their rivalry went beyond the court and Bell made sure to let people know what he believed about the Mamba. He called Kobe ‘pompous’ and ‘arrogant’, something that sparked something inside Kobe, who didn’t take anymore from Bell.
“I don’t know this guy, I don’t know this kid. He overreacts to stuff, I don’t know him,” Kobe said. “We played during the season, we played each other, that’s it, I don’t know this kid, I don’t even know this kid. We go out there, we play the game and leave it at that. Maybe he wasn’t hugged enough when as a kid.”
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The Suns would win that series in 7 games after returning from a 3-1 deficit. They would go to the Western Conference Finals, where the Dallas Mavericks beat them in 6 games. Phoenix might have won that series, but Kobe destroyed Bell with that line.
Bell even revealed that he genuinely hated Kobe at some point, but all of that disappeared.
