- Russell Westbrook and Kobe Bryant went at it during Team USA practice in 2012
- Westbrook scored on Bryant while being guarded in isolation and then made a pass for an easy score right after
- Russell Westbrook told Kobe Bryant he couldn’t stop him after making those plays
Russell Westbrook gets a lot of flak for the way he has declined late in his career, but fans sometimes forget he was an MVP-level player for many years. Westbrook was so good when he was younger, he once talked trash to Kobe Bryant and backed it up.
During Team USA practice in 2012, LeBron James asked Kobe Bryant to guard Russell Westbrook in isolation. Russell Westbrook then pulled up on Bryant and made a jumper, saying, “You can’t do nothing about that one.”
Kobe Bryant was never one to take trash-talk lying down and responded by saying, “Come here and get it.” Following that, he continued to stare Westbrook down.
Russell Westbrook then went right at Kobe Bryant on the very next play and made a pass inside to his teammate for an easy score.
LEAKED Audio Of Russell Westbrook Trash Talking Kobe Bryant In Team USA Practice👀:
Westbrook: “You can’t do nothing about that one”
Kobe: “Come here and get it”, while also staring him down pic.twitter.com/9QrLAteoWt
— LegendZ (@legendz_prod) September 2, 2023
Kobe Bryant was the leader for the 2008 Redeem Team, and he was definitely the main man for the 2012 team as well, being the greatest NBA player at that time.
For Russell Westbrook to challenge him as a player who had only been in the NBA for four years and was new to Team USA showed just how great he was going to be.
Kobe Bryant Used To Play Mind Games With Russell Westbrook On Team USA
Kobe Bryant wasn’t one to get trash-talked and take it lying down. He was also often ready to take advantage of any situation he could.
So it’s not surprising that Kobe Bryant would play mind games with Russell Westbrook and other Team USA members. Adrian Wojnarowski revealed what he would say.
“Kobe used Team USA [to play mind games]… Kobe would tell Westbrook, ‘Why do you keep letting KD win the scoring title? You should be winning the scoring title.’
“He would get that in Westbrook’s head, to try to send him back to Oklahoma City to create friction.”
So while Russell Westbrook and the younger generation of stars was trying to prove that they were on their way to a similar level of greatness, Kobe Bryant was trying to find every advantage he could to use against them during the NBA season.
Russell Westbrook Wanted To Join The Lakers Because Of Kobe Bryant But It Didn’t Work Out
Every NBA fan knows about Russell Westbrook’s failed stint as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers. The mercurial point guard was unable to play at the highest level because of poor fit and his general decline.
This makes it a bit sad to know that a large part of the reason he joined the Los Angeles Lakers was because he grew up watching Kobe Bryant excel with the team.
“It was like crazy… Trying to figure out everything being back home. But only thing I could think about was, like growing up in LA, watching the Lakers, Kobe… All those memories and all those things coming back to play, kinda come back full circles.”
Russell Westbrook was ultimately unable to enjoy his time with the Los Angeles Lakers thanks to all the drama that was surrounding him. He has an opportunity to rectify that with the Clippers next season, and he will be itching to prove his doubters wrong.
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