“I got this S**T” – When 21-year-old Kobe Bryant DEFIED legendary HC and STUNNED Shaquille O’Neal-less Lakers with LEGENDARY exploits

The Clippers' Head Coach, Tyronn Lue, who used to play with Kobe on the same team, shared a story about how Kobe led the Lakers to win the NBA Finals.

“I got this S**T” – When 21-year-old Kobe Bryant DEFIED legendary HC and STUNNED Shaquille O’Neal-less Lakers with LEGENDARY exploits

Kobe Bryant (Image via NBA.com)

Every single player who shared a court or a locker room with the late great Kobe Bryant has memorable stories to tell about the Black Mamba. He inspired a whole generation of basketball players and left an unforgettable legacy.

Current Los Angeles Clippers Head Coach Tyronn Lue recently shared a story on the ‘All The Smoke podcast’ with Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson. Lue recounted an incident from Game 4 of the 2000 NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers when Kobe was just 21 years old.

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According to Lue, during that game, Shaquille O’Neal fouled out, and there was panic amongst the team, and Kobe missed three straight shots afterwards. “Shaq fouled out, So, everybody kind of panicked. So they thought like, ‘Okay Shaq fouled out. We got to get everybody involved. We got to play a different style of basketball.’ So I think Kobe had missed three shots in a row,” Lue said.

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Phil Jackson and Kobe’s teammates urged him to pass the ball. However, Kobe responded by scoring 12 straight points and said, “I got this.” He led his team to victory in the absence of Shaq, demonstrating that the Lakers were not solely reliant on Shaq, and he could also lead a team to a championship.

“So guys are like, ‘Man, you got to move the ball,’ and Phil was on him a little bit in the timeout”and he came out, I think he might have scored 12 straight or something, and then he hit that big shot, and he’s like, ‘Relax. I got this sh*t.’ And after that series, then that’s when…it was over,” Lue added.

Also Read: Anthony Davis gets EMOTIONAL sharing MONOLOGUE between Kobe Bryant and his daughter

Stephen Curry describes inspiring first interaction with Kobe Bryant

Steph Curry shares story of first interaction with Kobe Bryant
Steph Curry and Kobe Bryant (via Bleacher Report)

In the early stages of his career, Stephen Curry wasn’t the superstar fans now know him to be. He played as an inefficient, injury-prone second option to Monta Ellis in the Golden State Warriors. It was only in 2014 that Steph finally broke out and found his mark in the NBA, and since then, he has been unstoppable.

Like many players, Steph also has a story to tell about the Black Mamba, Kobe Bryant. He recounted his first interaction with Kobe and how it affected his career. During his rookie year, Steph faced Kobe and saw him validate his game, which gave him more confidence to improve further.

In a recent appearance on the show ‘Hot Ones‘, Steph shared his first encounter with Kobe during his rookie year. He had made a shot off the glass during a game against the Lakers., “My rookie year, we were playing the Lakers at home. He was on the bench, and I think we were getting beat at the time.…I hit a leaner on the glass,” Steph said.

Steph then added that after he hit the shot, the camera was locked on Kobe. He saw Kobe leaning into a teammate and talking about Steph, saying that he was ‘nice’.“The camera locks in on him for some reason and he like points to or leans to the guy sitting next to him, one of his teammates and kind of mouths like ‘Man, he’s nice,’” Steph said.

Curry said that it was the ‘dopest’ thing in the world that the great Kobe Bryant was validating the game of a rookie like him, and he felt amazing. “Kobe is validating my game when he’s seeing me play for real for the first time. That’s just freakin’ amazing.”

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