Gilbert Arenas once scored 60 points against the Lakers and told Kobe Bryant, “If you the Black Mamba, then my new nickname is the Black Mongoose.” Bryant’s response? A decisive win over Gil’s Washington Wizards featuring 39 crucial points from Kobe. Even cold? His warning ahead of the game. “Make sure you guard me the way I’m gonna guard you.” A classic case of trash-talk bringing out the best of Bryant.  Yet when he recorded 4th highest scoring figure ever and highest against the New York Knicks, it was not trash talk that pushed him.

The revelation came to light during the recent episode of 7 PM in Brooklyn, when the discussion erupted on “Spike Lee’s top New York Knicks villains”. Their conversation eventually circled back to February 2, 2009—an unforgettable night for anyone who follows hoops. The Los Angeles Lakers were on a tear that season, steamrolling toward the Finals. And on that night at Madison Square Garden, Kobe made it clear the Knicks weren’t going to slow them down. He torched them for 61 points, setting a new arena record at the time and leading the Lakers to a 126-117 win. But here’s the twist—Kobe had a very specific reason for unleashing that performance. And it had a lot to do with Superfan Hall of Famer, Spike Lee.

That revelation came straight from Spike Lee himself. Speaking on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, he said, “I did this documentary, Kobe Doin’ Work. So they didn’t want to release it, so he could do the commentary. So we looked at the schedule, and we did a commentary at that game. And that’s the game he scored 61 points… So I have the scorecard, and he signed it… He says, ‘Spike, this sh*t’s all your fault.'” Yep, it seems Kobe wasn’t thrilled about juggling documentary work and basketball duties. And he took out his frustration in the best way he knew how.

No wonder fans still bring up that game when talking about Knicks villains. Kobe didn’t just dominate—he had Knicks fans doing the unthinkable: chanting MVP for a visiting player. That kind of takeover? Rare. As for Spike, his creative gamble paid off.

The documentary Kobe Doin’ Work dropped that same year, and they got Kobe to do the voice-over. Turns out, the Mamba wasn’t just ruthless on the court—he had the storytelling chops to match. And if you think that storytelling ability was limited to his documentary appearances, think again.

Kobe Bryant was heavily invested in getting out his creative side following his NBA retirement

Here’s something you might not have guessed about Black Mamba—the man was a total book nerd. Yep, the same guy who torched defenses and dropped 81 points in a single game was also quietly geeking out over fantasy novels. According to a 2020 piece by The Athletic, Kobe Bryant once reached out to Canadian author Wesley King, hoping to bring a new kind of magic to young readers.

When King finally visited the Lakers icon, he got a peek into Kobe’s literary treasure chest—Harry Potter books signed by J.K. Rowling, Game of Thrones editions signed by George R.R. Martin. And that’s where the connection sparked. King and Kobe weren’t just two guys chatting about books—they became co-creators, brainstorming for hours, pushing each other to build something meaningful.

The plan? Use the fantasy genre to impart life lessons through a series of stories. Lessons that the kids otherwise might have to learn the hard way. Just like the Los Angeles Lakers icon himself did. With the same goal and aspirations, Wesley King and Kobe Bryant released their first book, The Wizenard Series: Training Camp, in March 2019. The book making it as a New York Times Bestseller would’ve only fuelled the creative duo’s desire to bring in more editions.

And that was exactly the plan. In fact, they had collaborated on a second book, The Wizenard Series: Season One, which was released in 2020. But, per a 2020 story by The Athletic, just as King was set to meet Kobe in LA to discuss the subsequent books in the series, his phone blew up—Kobe was gone. One of his most heartfelt dreams vanished that day. And as fans, we didn’t just lose a legend—we lost the stories he never got to tell.