Transcription
All of a sudden, in the middle of the park, literally in the middle of the park. Oh my god.
I was just like, what's what's going on? Everybody got a little quiet and I look over and Kobe's like standing at the door.
"Who the [ __ ] is this dude? Like what what make him like that? That's like that's Kobe Bryan. He would he would literally come down and and do some some [music] crazy stuff and and Dale would be like, "Kobe, you you you can't do that, Kobe." And he would come back and do it again."
You know, a lot of people talk [music] about Kobe Bryant. Like a lot of people. But there's a difference between talking about Kobe and actually being there. Actually being in the gym with him at 5 in the morning. Actually being on the court when he decided it was your night to suffer. Actually being in the room when he walked in and everything just shifted. These are those people. These are the guys who didn't just watch Kobe, they lived it. And trust me, some of these stories, you're not ready.
I get a call from like, "Hey, yo, what's going on? Hey, do you want to go to Six Flags?" Six Flags. I'm like, "Six Flag? I'm a big, you know, amusement park fan." I'm like, "Yeah." He said, "All right, well, I'll race you there."
"Oh, Lord."
I'm like, "You going to race me there?" Said, "Yeah, I'm I'mma race you to Six Flags." I'm like, "All right." I'm gone in the car soon. I'm flying, you know, to get to Six Flags, Great America. I get a message from CO like, "Oh, man. I got a little bit of car trouble, man. I you know, but I'll beat you. I'll still beat you there." So, I'm get there. I get to Six Flags. I'm waiting. I'm waiting. I'm waiting.
I'm waiting. I'm like, "Man, I'm here first, right? I'm waiting. I'm waiting."
And they said, "Well, Kobe is on his way. He had car trip." I'm like, "Yeah, I know. He already told me." All of a sudden, in the middle of the park, literally in the middle of the park, this dude, and [laughter] I'm like this, like here, like trying to figure out what like what's going on, man. It's a damn helicopter that lands right in the middle of the park. wind blowing everything flow, [laughter] you know, trying to get the dust out of our eye, trying to figure out what's going on. It's cold.
"Oh my god."
He steps out of there, [music] you know, like, "Sorry, I'm late." And they said, "Hey, they're about to shut down the park for Cole." And um the fans, they're screaming, "Let's go Lakers." They said, "Yeah, man. Cole, you and D Fish are the best." I'm looking I'm trying to figure out. I'm looking behind me. I said, "Cole, where do you fish Fish at?" They're thinking I'm D. We get there, we walk, we get on all the rides. Like he was adamant. He loved
"He loves He loved amusement parks."
"He loved amusement parks."
And here I am still almost like in awe of man, I got Kobe, one of the greatest players that, you know, we got the same age and we have this connection and he asked me to go to the amusement park. So, we going to the amusement park and and [music] this actually some some pictures of us at the amusement park and I remember we got on our first ride and we just sitting there chopping about like, man, you you like this you like this ride, man. It's going to be a good ride. And [music] when I'm I saw the picture of all of us on the actual ride and I was just looking like this like
Next Scotty Pippen, Six Rings Hall of Fame. The guy spent years guarding Michael Jordan in practice and lived to tell about it. So when Pip says Kobe reminded him of those wars with MJ, yeah, that's not a small thing.
"He was great. I mean, um, I had watched Kobe, you know, from [music] his earlier years. I think he had came in in 96. And uh about the time I had moved out and started playing on the west coast, I mean he was in his fifth or sixth year in the league. So he was uh definitely uh prime Kobe, very tough player to guard. Uh reminded me a lot of, you know, competing against Michael day in and day out, but I was older and he was younger. So um it was a lot different, but he was definitely u one of the toughest players that I've ever played against."
Now Blake Griffin, six-time all-star, certified bucket. But even he admits that the first time Kobe walked into a room, something just felt different. [music] Like the energy changed before you even saw him.
"But like, dude, Kobe was it's in LA. It's he is just he's God."
"Yeah."
"Like he is [music] he's untouchable. It it was like truly like like I don't know how to describe it. Like he like the first time I I [music] actually met him. I was doing rehab. My my my first year I got hurt. I was doing rehab and uh the lady was doing my rehab was his um his like PT. And so I'm sitting there in the PT clinic and I remember kind of just like sitting there. I had like heat, you know, you do ice and heat to start. And um I'm sitting there and I kind of like look up and like like the energy in the room shifted. [music] I'm not like a big like the energy is changing and I I was just like what's going on? Everybody got a little quiet and I look over and Kobe's like standing at the door."
"And [music] I was just like oh this is like this is this is different. Yeah."
"Like he just like everywhere he went it was just like u it was it was so I like it was like seeing God."
"Sure. You know, it was it was it was it was nuts."
"You know, for me is [music] the last game 60 points,"
"you know, because that game started off rough."
"What?"
"I mean, he was 0 for seven, 0 for eight. And"
"I can remember just standing up and I'm sitting there and I'm watching it and [music] as he's going up and down the court, he missed another shot. You know, he come down, he missed. I was like, damn, I don't want Kobe to go out."
"Go out like,"
"you know what I'm saying? That's all I kept saying to myself. I don't want him to go out this this way. And then he got fouled. was goes to the free throw line, hits a couple of free throws, comes down, hits the jumper, and then he start rolling."
"Start heating up."
"Oh man, he started rolling. So, you know, taking him out in the second quarter, you know, I was like, I I'mma play him a lot, you know. I said, but I got to give him a rest in this first half, [music] right?"
"And the second half, I was like, you ain't coming out, you know. So, yeah, you going to play the rest of this game. And I remember with 6 minutes left, I looked up, he had 40."
"Mhm."
"I was like, damn."
"Right. Right."
"You know, but he was on the bench. and TO when I mean he was"
"oh he was laboring"
"he was hurting [music] but he wasn't going to stop though and I went to him and I said all right six more minutes left in this game and it's just like it's only me and him every you know player I got my board but it's really like me and I said KB you got six more minutes in that body of yours"
"Absolutely that moment for me especially at the end when he walks off the court cuz he he he walks off with Shaq he hits he hits Gary Vee then he hits me"
"Mhm. you gives me the biggest hug and he says, "I love you, coach.""
"You know, and I [music] was, you know, you know, just it it was a special, you know, I'll never forget it."
Nick Vanexel was there in those early Laker years when Kobe was still a teenager driving everybody [music] absolutely crazy. The coaches told him to stop. He did not stop, [music] not even a little bit.
"Probably uh probably the second year, you know, because the the first year was tough for him because he a lot of playing time and then, you know, Cole was like he was a one-on-one thing. His favorite saying was, "I'm the best one-on-one player in the league. Can't nobody hold me [laughter] one. Ain't nobody check me one." That was his favorite saying all the time. He he would literally come down and and do some some crazy stuff and and Dale would be like, "Kobe, you you you can't do that, Kobe." and he would come back and do it again. [laughter] Like how how many players you know as that young a rookie, still a teenager, do some crazy stuff and the coach tell you not to do it again. You I ain't going to do it again."
"Yeah."
"Right. Right."
"I came right back and did it again. And it was non-stop this whole year like that. And you know, he was getting a lot Dale was getting a lot of pressure to play Kobe, you know, early on in in Kobe's career that first year, but Dale didn't want to do it. He didn't think he was ready. So, it was a little struggle for Kobe. But that second year, Kobe really didn't care. [clears throat] Like he was just like determined. Like I I always say myself, Kream going to rise to the top. Cream going to rise to the top. And Kobe knew he was that cream. You know what I'm saying? He he he just kept going. He kept going. [music] And then when you keep going and keep going, guess what? They accept it."
"And and and everybody start to realize, you know what? This boy going to be cold, man."
Kobe [music] 66. And Kobe could move like he could later. He could move later. He was a defense. He was a dog, you know what I mean? So me and him had wars, but like if you not my size, [music] you know what I mean? Especially like uh Marcus Banks, you you're a hoop head. So, you know, [music] remember Marcus Banks Stock? He 6'2, you know what I mean? He used to give me problems cuz he could move laterally. [music] Then if I get by him, you know, he had to he was like, you know, Steph gave me problems, you know what I mean? You know, Co had a lot of that into him. The [music] strength and then he was like a defensive minded dude. I mean, he's he gave [music] me problems, but nobody really could, you know, what I'm saying? Nobody really could could, you know, if if if I had a bad night, you know, nine times out of 10 it was [music] it was me. You know what I mean? But I used to go through some wars with Kobe and it it was so different to me. It won't fail. And it show you what type of dog he was because he would guard me, but I ain't have to guard him."
"Yeah."
"You know what I mean?"
"The player was everything [music] that everybody has talked about is mentality was completely true. Um, I've seen him numerous times when he was, you know, he'd have a game and then he we'd have backtobacks and I would come in and shoot at 8:00. It's still early, but it's not crazy. [music] And he'd be getting done with a workout. He'd be in the gym at like 5:30, get home at 2:00, be in the [music] gym at 5:30. He was one of those guys, the special few that we [music] all wish we could bottle, but he had endless energy. And he had a almost a psychotic [music] drive to be successful. And you know, at first people, it rubbed people the wrong way, but he was just trying to win [music] games. And if you're a competitor at any level, you want people in the foxhole with you that are like that. A little bit different [music] though. You know what I'm saying? And that different is not bad. A lot of times people when they hear different, they think it's there's negative [music] connotation to it. It's not. He was just so driven that if you worked hard and you competed, he loved you. If you didn't, then he then he wasn't very nice. And that's just the honest truth."
"My first time ever seeing it. Um I wasn't into big into the the like high school rankings and all that. I just played basketball. Like I I lucked up and got on AA team. Um I had to cut I I caught a Greyhound bus from Dallas to Newark to go to ABCD camp. Um took me like 22 hours on a Greyhound to get there. Um, and at that camp all the names were there. Like I I didn't know nothing about these camps. So I was able to get a invitation to go there and people like just following this dude around like it's like a big deal. I'm like yo what who is that or what? Like why is everybody like that's the number one player in y'all class? I'm like what class y'all talking about man? Like cuz they was making us go sit in these SAT classes in certain prep class. I'm like like oh he he good at school. Like I'm I'm like naive to this [ __ ] Like I have no idea. He walking around with a big ass radio music lab playing music and [ __ ] I'm like like who the [ __ ] is this dude? Like what what make him like that's like that's Kobe Bryant. I'm like who? They're like that's Kobe Bryant. like he going straight to the league like this. I'm like, "Oh, okay." And we went out to ABC then. I saw why. [music]"