‘Like A Chess Match’- Former NBA Champion Recalls Playing Against Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant has had many rivals across his NBA career. One of the most notable ones was fellow 1996 draftee Ray Allen. While both men got one championship at the expense of the other, they shared an intense on-court rivalry. Another rivalry that people forget about was the one between Kobe and Shane Battier, who became a two-time NBA Champion with the Miami Heat.

Bryant’s tenuous respect for Battier’s defense over their careers gave Battier a reputation as the Kobe-stopper. Shane Battier had spoken about how it was like playing against Kobe. But even for a Kobe stopper, Battier got put on the wrong end of this iconic clip.

“Whether he made it or missed the shot I didn’t care, but I knew he was doing the thing that was most beneficial for me and the most harmful for his efficiency by taking that shot, so that was the game within the game within the game within the game that Kobe and I played with each other, and it just was the ultimate chess match.

“I’m getting goosebumps just talking about it right now, but he’s the only guy to ever really bring out that level. I’m just really sad we’ll never get a chance to talk about that in person.”

Kobe Bryant: Was he unguardable?

Yes. There is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Kobe Bryant was unguardable. While a team could always run sets or gameplan in a way to slow Kobe down, but nobody ever had an unbeatable clamp on him. He was just way too stubborn and creative to be played like that.

Bryant also fashioned himself into an elite defender, making multiple all-defensive teams in his career. Certain players can learn the best when they know how they would stop someone at that elite level. Kobe could read players before they even settled on certain moves.

The genius of Kobe Bryant on the court genuinely made him unguardable for many. While Shane Battier also gave it his honest efforts whenever, having a career 17-20 record against Kobe, he just wasn’t the match for Kobe. Perhaps nobody is or was.