Kobe Bryant’s Blunt Warning for NBA Champion Only Earned Lakers Legend an Undying Love

Every year, Kobe Bryant was not satisfied unless he won the championship. The one thing he asked from his teammates was to be just as focused on the goal as he was. So, when the Los Angeles Lakers brought in Ron Artest to their team in 2009, Kobe Bryant wanted to make sure that Artest would be focused on the goal and not mess up what they had built. This, in turn, made Artest develop an undying respect for Kobe.

During a recent episode of Run It Back, Ron Artest talked about his relationship with Kobe Bryant and what it was like to share the floor with the Los Angeles Lakers legend.

“Man, I love Kobe. RIP Kobe. Kobe is so competitive; the first time I got there, you know we he didn’t have much to say. He has told me, ‘don’t mess it up.’ He did tell me that… Other than that, we just talked about the game. We never really went out. Never had lunch. Never had dinner. None of that stuff, but on that court, we were synced,” said the 2004 DPOY.

As the Lakers and Kobe Bryant were coming off a championship win in 2009, the team decided to add Ron Artest to the roster. Although Kobe’s relationship with Artest was strictly professional, he wanted to make things clear with Artest before they stepped on the court.

Having been suspended on multiple occasions before making his way to the Lakers, Kobe was not ready to let Artest ruin what he had built in Los Angeles. But Kobe openly expressing his concern and telling Artest to not mess up made him accept Kobe’s leadership.

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Kobe Bryant’s warning was warranted

Ron Artest has had his fair share of troubles on and off the court. He was part of one of the biggest brawls in NBA history, where players ran into the stands to fight with the fans. Artest was suspended 86 games in the 2003–04 season for this.

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One year before joining the Lakers, Artest was suspended yet again for seven games due to off-court reasons. As the Lakers had the goal of winning a championship, Kobe Bryant did not want Artest to cause any distraction on the team.

What do you think of Kobe Bryant and Ron Artest’s relationship? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!