“Master of the Mind”: Kobe Bryant’s “War” Antics to Rattle Teammates Leaves Fan’s Jaw Dropped

Back when Metta Sandiford-Artest was known as Metta World Peace, his style of aggressive play was up for debate. He stepped on the NBA court in 1999, when a young Kobe Bryant was on the rise. Then came the time when they were teammates with the Los Angeles Lakers. The erstwhile Ron Artest had not won any championships yet. But then came some unusual advice from the Black Mamba that defined Metta as an NBA legend.

That moment was relived in Artest’s 2019 documentary, Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story. The following year, Artest would mourn the loss of his friend and teammate in the tragic helicopter crash. The clip from the documentary resurfaced now making fans surprised over Bryant’s strategies to motivate his teammates.

Kobe Bryant’s pep talk to Metta World Peace stuns fans

Metta World Peace’s first stint in the Lakers was from 2009 to 2013 when he played alongside Kobe Bryant. They formed an off-court friendship which would lead the ‘Black Mamba’ to appear on his friend’s documentary in 2019. A clip from Quiet Storm: The Ron Artest Story is catching interest again for what Bryant said.

“We got finished playing a game,” Kobe recalled in the clip. “He wasn’t as physical as he normally is. So after the game, I’m out at dinner and I’m eating. Metta comes walking in. I said, ‘Metta… where’s the physicality? Where’s the toughness?’ He said, ‘Oh man! I’m not trying to upset anybody. Do anything like this.’ I said, ‘Your name is Metta World Peace right?’ And he said, ‘Yeah!’ I said, ‘How do you think peace is accomplished?’ He goes, ‘I don’t know!’ I said, ‘Through war! Win the war and then you have peace. Got it? Alright!’”

That peptalk did its job. Few months later, Metta World Peace won his first NBA championship and Bryant’s fifth with the Lakers in 2010.

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This documentary was released a year before Bryant and his daughter would pass away in the helicopter crash of 2020. Watching this clip stirred several emotions in fan. While they were in awe, they also admitted that watching this documentary is difficult now especially when Kobe is on screen.

But it’s mostly the way he could whip a teammate into championship-winning material that fans reacted to. Some of them could put a lighthearted spin on his “war” strategies.

“Yo My dude Kobe would say something like that 😂😂 my man is inspiring.“

“Student of Sun Tzu.”

“Love this era of basketball it was like watching a basketball game and boxing 🥊 in one 😂 Kobe 24ever.”

“Master of the mind!!!”

“Kobe mind was far ahead of everyone else!!”

“It’s one thing to be a good player it’s another to motivate others to be good players Dan AI WAS CORRECT WE DID FORGET.”

“Bro the more I here Kobe qoutes the more you see that he should have been a war general.”

“If Metta’s name had been Metta World War, Kobe would’ve been like “How is war accomplished?!? Through peace!”

Artest embraced his style because of Bryant

HBO’s fan-favorite series, Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, is going to premiere a second season. But its creators are already teasing a new season around the Kobe Bryant era. Maybe his partnership with Metta World Peace would feature in it.

Back then the Lakers signed Artest hoping his on-court toughness could win the franchise a championship. But the then-Ron Artest had newly changed into his new name, Metta World Peace and he was leaning into that personality. That wouldn’t do for Bryant who pushed Artest to get back into his rough play style.

Artest not only leaned into, he defended his style. He said he plays aggressive, “not dirty,” in 2013. Shortly after, the Lakers released him. He’d come back in 2015 and retire a Laker two years later. Till the end of his NBA career, the market Kobe Bryant left on him remains obvious.

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