“I’m Going to Destroy You Today”: Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal Once Offered Harsh Lesson to Lakers Rookie for ‘Smelling Like Alcohol’

A Kobe Bryant anecdote highlighting his unrivaled approach to the game of basketball arguably never gets old. The Mamba’s desire to improve with each passing day cemented him as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

Alongside his almost inseparable soulmate, Shaquille O’Neal, the formidable duo terrorized NBA defenses for several years. Both legends would be inextricably linked to the most triumphant period at the Los Angeles Lakers, a franchise that had developed a tradition of stockpiling trophies long before their ascent.

Both players spent hours in the gym striving to perfect their craft.

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Now imagine, with Kobe and Shaq locked in, a rookie enters the gym smelling of booze. That is precisely what happened when Luke Walton once showed up to practice hungover.

Luke Walton recalls the time he got destroyed by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal

Walton spent his first season in the league with Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant at the Lakers. He recalled being hungover once when he arrived to practice. Furthermore, he also mentioned how both stars annihilated him for it. He went into great depth about the incident on the ‘Open Run’ podcast.

“I remember one time my rookie year, I came in a little, uh him (Kobe Bryant) and Shaq like to do this as, I think it was just rookies, but any young guy, I probably had too much to drink the night before, so I came in, I was a rookie, I felt good, and they could smell some alcohol on me. And Kobe informed the rest of the team that no one was allowed to help me on defense and that I had to guard him the entire practice,” Walton recalled.

He continued, “I was laughing at first like, ‘Oh, this is funny,’ but in Kobe’s mind, in his eyes, it was like, ‘No, I see and smell weakness, I’m going to destroy you today.’ He taught me that lesson. He probably scored 70-something in practice that day, and I was begging for help, none of the teammates would help.” 

While Kobe Bryant made Luke Walton go through his worst nightmare, Shaq as well did not show any mercy.

“Shaq did it to me too one day,” Walton said. “Yeah, Shaq made me guard him, and then I just started trying to foul him, and he told me that if I kept fouling him, he was gonna punch me, so then I stopped fouling him. It wasn’t fair. I felt like I was a child trying to play a grown man’s game,” he added.

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Luke Walton was taught a crucial lesson by both Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal upon his arrival in the NBA. It did, however, make him a better player and possibly taught him the discipline necessary for success as an athlete.