Kobe Bryant Once Destroyed Metta-Sandiford Artest During Lakers vs Rockets: “You’re A Stand-Up Comedian Now!”

Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace, formerly known as Metta-Sandiford Artest, before they became teammates, were part of a hilarious trash-talk exchange. All the famous NBA players have always had a knack for trash-talking. This helps them get in their opponents head.

Their exchange took place at the free throw line. Kobe was set to take free throw shots when Metta World Peace started trash talking. Kobe gave no thought to the trash talk and hilariously asked him whether he was a comedian now.

The exchange between Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace

This famous exchange between the two players took place on March 11, 2009. Kobe Bryant had been fouled and was taking his position at the free throw line. It was a regular season game, and the Lakers enjoyed a 6 point lead over the Rockets.

It was at this moment that Metta World Peace chose to trash talk Kobe. With 28 seconds left on the clock, Metta states that Kobe is scared of him. Bryant chuckles and says “You a stand-up comedian now?”

It has always been speculated that this was an important instance which pushed Kobe to trade for Metta from the Rockets. This incident, coupled with Metta’s performance in the 2009 playoffs proved that he would be a valuable addition. The tenacity of Metta makes him a very good player to partner with Kobe.

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Was Kobe Bryant’s decision to trade for Metta World Peace fruitful? 

Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace created a formidable duo in the NBA. Lakers had already won the 2009 season championship, the addition of Metta helped them chase another ring. During the 2010 Playoff run, Metta and Kobe emerged to be the two most important players for the team.

Kobe relied on Metta for a huge chunk of defence. The latter had a very pivotal role to play in the Lakers 2010 championship run. The two had a wonderful synergy and a good understanding of each other’s game.

The trade paid off handsomely. It is quite possible that the Lakers would not have been able to win the 2010 season if Metta was not there to lock down the floor defensively. Metta’s presence helped Kobe as he got to save his energy on the defensive end.

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