Kobe Bryant‘s relentless competitive energy inspired many people throughout his career. The Los Angeles Lakers legend was relentless from the day he was drafted to the day he retired. There have been a lot of mind-boggling stories about the Black Mamba, but the ones coming from his fierce rivals are the most special. A certain Boston Celtics legend recently narrated his ‘Kobe Bryant story’ to the world, recounting a time when he was stunned by a young Kobe’s competitive spirit.

The phrase ‘Black Mamba mentality’ has come to be associated with the depiction of immense mental fortitude. Recently, Ray Allen recounted how he experienced it firsthand when Bryant expressed his disappointment in certain off-court events that launched both of their careers in different directions.

NBA legend recalls how his rivalry with Kobe Bryant came to be

Kobe Bryant was never one to shy away from a battle, a fact that many of his peers understood pretty early in his career. Legends like Michael Jordan always held Bryant in high regard for his fearless attitude combined with insane capabilities.

Even though Bryant’s rivals didn’t always like him, they couldn’t help but respect the Lakers legend’s genius. Similarly, recently, Ray Allen, narrated how the fierce rivalry between him and the Lakers no. 24 came to be.

Allen and Bryant were both drafted in the 1996 NBA draft. However, their careers were quite different from each other before they ended up on two teams with enormous amount of history behind them, the Boston Celtics and the LA Lakers. Unbeknownst to Allen at the time, even after a decade of being in the NBA, Bryant had kept a major grudge hidden in the deepest corner of his heart. A disappointment that the Black Mamba turned into motivation to get the better of Allen, every time he could. In a recent interview on CLNS, the two-time NBA champion revealed all about his days butting heads with Bryant.

“Whenever I played against him, you know, we always competed. And obviously, he wanted to always prove to people that he was better than me because I was drafted higher than him,” said Allen. He added, “But that’s, probably the source behind our rivalry. You know, we had a intense rivalry…”

The 1996 NBA draft may have caused hurt to Bryant, as he felt disrespected by being the 13th overall pick, while other young players like Ray Allen were selected higher. However, there may be more to the rivalry than meets the eye, as Bryant must?ve also taken note of the Celtics legend’s unpleasant comments in 2004 following Shaquille O’Neal’s departure.

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Ray Allen on Kobe in 2004

In 2004, Shaq decided to look for a new team after a feud with the Lakers and his beloved teammate Kobe Bryant. It was a shocking piece of news, as the Lakers appeared in four consecutive Finals with Shaq while winning three of them. Hence, when Allen was questioned about the Lakers’ future, he predicted a rather grim future with a few harsh words for the Black Mamba.

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The 10-time All-Star, who was playing for the Seattle Supersonics at the time, predicted that Bryant would be more “selfish”?following the Big Man’s departure. He also questioned if Bryant could win a championship without Shaq. The Black Mamba took some time but came up with an appropriate answer as he won a championship without Shaq, against Ray Allen and the Celtics in 2010, which was his second consecutive NBA championship.

Do you remember Allen and Kobe’s rivalry? Let us know in the comments.