Kobe Bryant established himself as one of the greatest players in the history of the game, even when he came through the 1996 Draft Class which featured the likes of Allen Iverson, Steve Nash, and Ray Allen.
I spoke to Ray Allen on behalf of Fadeaway World during his visit to NBA India as Allen described the challenge of guarding Kobe Bryant during their careers.
“He took a lot of tough shots. It was my job to keep making him continue taking shots. If he’s taking tough shots, I am happy with it, he’s gonna make some of them, and that’s fine. When he’s taking shots under duress or with fatigue, then I did my job. Some guys in the NBA and Kobe was one of them, it’s impossible to keep him from taking those shots and not missing. It was a task for me but I tried to get him as tired as much I could because he was guarding me as well.”
Ray Allen on his countless on-court battles with Kobe Bryant
"Some guys in the NBA and Kobe was one of them, it’s impossible to keep him from taking those shots and not missing." pic.twitter.com/EVLXyuAS6P
— Ishaan Bhattacharya (@IshaanBhatta) May 16, 2023
Allen and Kobe faced each other 37 times in their career during the regular season. Kobe and the Lakers won 23 times to the 14 times Allen won across his various teams in the league. Bryant averaged 24.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.6 assists, while Allen averaged 19.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists.
The Iconic Finals Battles Between Ray Allen And Kobe Bryant
Allen and Bryant were the starting shooting guard for their respective franchises in two Finals matchups between the two most storied NBA franchises. Allen won his first NBA title in 2008 with the Boston Celtics over Kobe’s Lakers, before Kobe got his win back in the 2010 Finals between the two teams.
The first title was the only shining moment for the ‘Big Three’ Celtics with Allen, Paul Pierce, and Kevin Garnett. They would fail to win a second championship when they rematched with Kobe’s Lakers who were more ready for the challenge in 2010, winning the series in seven games.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85nBQ_AoRwk
Ray Allen 2008 NBA Finals Stats: 20.3 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 blocks
Kobe Bryant 2008 NBA Finals Stats: 25.7 points, 5.0 assists, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 0.2 blocks
Ray Allen 2010 NBA Finals Stats: 14.6 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 0.7 steals
Kobe Bryant 2010 NBA Finals Stats: 28.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.1 steals, and 0.7 blocks
They are two of the greatest shooting guards of all time. Kobe is among the greatest to ever play regardless of position, but Allen was always ready to compete and make life tough for Bryant during their wars over their shared 18 seasons in the NBA.
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