Some things impact the sport without ever being seen. When you ask athletes what truly separates the great ones, the most common answer is mentality. Whether it be never-say-never or will-not-quit, all athletes have a mantra that drives them. But, if you are among the game’s greatest, you have an entire mentality named after you. In a franchise as illustrious as the Los Angeles Lakers, one man left his mark like no other. Kobe Bryant.

But, what became more famous than the man himself was his Mamba Mentality. The essence of Kobe, it helped push him, even through injuries, to be better. This really showed through in a regular season game in 2011 against the Indiana Pacers team.

The?Mamba inspires the opposing team’s center

Indiana Pacers of the early ’10s were a stout defensive team. Led by superstar-in-making Paul George and defensive bruisers in the frontcourt, the team was poised for greatness. Unfortunately, untimely injuries stopped them from reaching their true potential. But, it did not diminish what they did achieve.

Years later, George had a shocking moment to share about his time in Indiana and a particular battle against the Mamba.?On his own podcast, the Clippers’ star detailed an incident regarding Kobe and PG13’s former teammate, Roy Hibbert.

In a conversation with the Knicks’ Julius Randle, George dropped this story from 2012, leaving fans shocked.

George recalls the incident. In the first quarter, Kobe pump-faked Hibbert and caused him to suffer a broken nose. Paul recalls the aftermath stating, “He went to Kobe, it was like a little kid like thinking Kobe was gonna be like, oh no my bad I’m sorry I did that…yo you broke my nose man. Kobe said, stone-faced, he said,’ You should have got the f*ck out the way.'”?

While one would think that such a comment is rude, it propelled Hibbert forward. In that matchup, with a broken nose no less, Hibbert led the Pacers with 18 points to a 98-96 victory over Kobe and the Lakers. In fact, Bryant was so impressed that he later recruited Hibbert to his Lakers.

But, clearly, Kobe knew how to dish it out. And somehow, Kobe could take it as hard as he gave it. When Dwyane Wade accidentally broke Kobe’s nose in the 2012 All-Star game, his response was as Mamba as it gets.

D-Wade recalls another insane Kobe Bryant moment

During the same season as the Roy Hibbert incident, another Mamba story was generated from a broken nose. In the 2012 All-Star game, Wade accidentally broke Bryant’s nose while attempting a block.

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Obviously,?Flash?called him up later to apologize. Kobe’s response, however, shocked the Miami Heat legend.

“He was like, ‘Bro, I love it!…I’ll see you in a couple of days.’ I was like this is it. Oh, Snap.” In the succeeding game, Bryant dominated Wade and Miami, dropping 33 points en route to a 93-83 victory for Los Angeles. The message was clear, never mess with Kobe Bean Bryant.

It was this indomitable spirit that led Kobe to a remarkable career. As one of the game’s greatest, we send his family all the love. Rest in Power, Kob. Mamba Out.

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