“We Had Kobe Out in the Streets” – Matt Barnes Relives Wild and Unusual Night With Late Lakers Legend

When thinking about Kobe Bryant, a party person is the last thing that would pop into people’s minds. Known for his insane work ethic and being the one who made Mamba Mentality so popular, Kobe was always the first to enter the gym and the last to leave. However, there was one player who managed to do the unthinkable and get Kobe to let loose at least for one night, his former teammate Matt Barnes. Remember the infamous “no-flinch” moment between the two from 2010? They both came a long way after that.

During a live crossover episode of All the Smoke and Knuckleheads podcasts, the panel of former players reminisced about their best memories of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend. And while everyone talked about how Kobe dominated them on the court, Barnes instead boasted about the time he got the Black Mamba to party with him when they were both teammates on the Lakers. “Who had him out in the club doing the sh*t we like to do?” Barnes rhetorically asked Stephen Jackson.

As it turns out, after a game between the Lakers and the Milwaukee Bucks, Barnes called Jackson to a party saying, “Kobe about to go out.” Not believing Barnes at first, Jackson was surprised when he saw Kobe with liquor bottles everywhere and partying all out, leaving Jackson thinking, “This ain’t the same Kobe I used to know.” However, the only thing Barnes regretted missing out on was sharing a smoke with the 5x Champion.

But he still was proud of doing what not many people could do. “He didn’t smoke with me though. But we had Kobe out in the streets.” Moreover, Kobe likely agreed to party with Barnes because they had become really good friends during their time together as teammates.

The moment Matt Barnes earned Kobe Bryant’s respect

Before Kobe and Barnes became teammates, they had their fair share of battles on the court as opponents. Their rivalry even led to a now iconic Kobe moment on March 7, 2010, during a game between Orlando Magic and the Lakers. At the time, Barnes was playing for Orlando and both teams had faced each other in the Finals in the previous season.

Going heads up against Kobe all game and getting into several physical altercations, Barnes lost his cool during the third quarter and tried to scare the Black Mamba by putting the ball right in front of his face during an inbound pass. Surprisingly, a focused Kobe didn’t even flinch at Barnes’ ball fake showing how tough he was.

Recently making an appearance on Paul George’s podcast, Barnes dove into that viral incident and revealed how that moment helped him earn Kobe’s respect. “After that season he (Kobe) called me,” Barnes said. Witnessing Barnes’ competitive nature and his willingness to get an edge on his opponents in any way possible, Kobe was impressed by Barnes and asked him to become his teammate in LA.

“Anyone crazy enough to f**k with me is crazy enough to play with me. You wanna be a Laker?” Barnes remembers Kobe talking to him on the phone, eventually leading to them becoming teammates for two seasons. Moreover, their mutual respect turned into a great friendship, as Barnes was one of the few people who could get Kobe to party and the two even frequently attended each other’s children’s basketball games after retirement.

Stay tuned for more such updates, and to follow what Shaq’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, has to say about the Reese-Clark rivalry and more, watch this video.