‘Referee Might Not Even See’: Former NBA Champion Reveals How Tough It Was to Guard Lakers’ Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant was a crowd puller who would show up even when injured just so the fans got their tickets’ worth. Even crazier, no one could know he was playing under pain unless he or his physio revealed something post the games. He was a blessing for the Lakers and a curse for all of his rivals. 

The Black Mamba was 6’6” in his physicality but he was 60’60” in his stature, and his influence inside the restricted area was proof. Who better than those braveheart defenders to explain what it was like to stop Kobe from scoring?

Tony Allen shared his honest experience 

Tony played six seasons with the Celtics during those crazy days of their brutal rivalry with the Lakers. He would play the same position as Kobe’s and mostly find himself defending the Mamba inside the paint. 

In a recent interview, the retired champion revealed his experience playing man-to-man against Kobe. The 39-YO expressed, “When I speak of Mr. Bean, I always look at the times that he shot the ball. It never was a shot that he didn’t think he was going to hit. He stayed in the seek and displayed the mamba mentality. And just knowing to not get discouraged.” 

He then explained how Kobe would get deadly with his head fakes and weird turnarounds almost impossible to guard. The Grindfather would mostly hope for Kobe to make an error because he would have a hard time blocking his shots.

Just as the 6’4” guard added, “A lot of guys have battled with him… like he said in the interview, when he spoke so highly, he said, ‘help, help, help’. I’m explaining that to y’all… when Kobe get in & get into the post, he hits you with his elbow and his shoulder, it’s real quick, the referee might not even see it. The shoulder gets anywhere near your stomach. You might get a tomato chest because I’m telling you going into his move and I noticed that. So what that did was, made me go into the weight room and do a hundred thousand situps and more weight lifting, getting stronger. That was one aspect of me trying to guard him in my head. I knew sure that I have to be physical.”

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The rivalry with the Celtics that shaped a new Kobe Bryant

After lifting the title in 2002, the Lakers had a title drought for six straight years, and the Black Mamba did not like any of it. At one point, he was so sick of his team that he almost wanted to opt out of the Lakers. However, he again locked in after Pau Gasol’s arrival. 

Still, the reinvented Lakers failed against the Big Three of Doc Rivers’ 2008 Celtics, losing the finals 2-4. That was the time when a frustrated Kobe even schooled his teammate and friend Pau for lacking the brutal drive. Things between the C’s and the Lake Show were really nasty, and they knew that another final would soon knock on the door.

As Tony Allen added, “Every time I played, never spoke a word to him, get so clever and competitive at the time… I knew he was going to get the ball. That’s when he would start speaking to Pau (Gasol) in Spanish, setting up the back door.”

The time came in 2010 when the Lakers bounced back from a 2-3 deficit to lift their 16th franchise title. That marked Kobe’s last shot at the championship and also Tony’s last season with the Greens.

Which other event in Kobe’s playing life do you think defined him? Help us know in the comments.