Kobe Bryant was one of the most fearless competitors you could ever meet. He had an urge to prove that he was stronger, better, more determined, and a harder worker than anybody else in the world. That’s one of the many things that made him a legend.
Nonetheless, that also made him plenty of enemies along the way. Kobe wouldn’t let anybody else get the best of him, regardless of if it was playing pickup or during Game 7 of the NBA Finals.
Recently, his former teammate and close friend Lamar Odom gave us the perfect example of this, recalling the time when he actually had to break up a fight between him and rapper Master P, who was visiting the Los Angeles Lakers during practice:
“When you’re practicing with the Lakers, people might just pop up… P came to our practice and the aura and the energy and timing of it… Bean kinda really just wasn’t feeling it. These are two alpha males… It was just awkward… It wasn’t like getting in the middle to stop them. But I just checked both of their temperatures, making sure everything is cool… The energy was just off between them,” Odom recalled.
This incident had remained a rumor for years. In fact, when asked about it, Kobe claimed that he didn’t even remember it. Perhaps it wasn’t that important for him and just another day in the office.
It’s not a secret that Kobe wasn’t exactly the easy-going type. He had a strong character and a never-ending drive to bring the best out of him and everybody else.
Ironically, the very same fire that drove him to the top of the world and made him one of the greatest and most influential players of all time also made him so tough to deal with for those who didn’t get him.
