When Kobe Bryant Went to the Extremes of Studying White Sharks to Overpower His Most Fierce Rival

Kobe Bean Bryant is counted among the greatest basketball players of all time, not only because of his diligence, but also because of his unique style of dominating the court. Apart from that, it is also his fear of not being good enough and losing that gives him an upper hand amongst his competitors. 

He has never failed to show that he would do anything to do to be the best in the game. It is this drive for perfection that started his professional rivalry and obsession with Allen Iverson. 

Allen Iverson, also called ‘The Answer’ or ‘AI’, went up against Kobe in 1999. The Lakers were led by Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’ Neal at the time. Allen scored 41 points and 10 assists on Kobe, which led to the Lakers’ inevitable defeat. 

Kobe Bryant and his unique strategy

Kobe now had to find a way to tackle and defend his competitor. He knew he needed tactics beyond the book to gain an edge over the skillset Allen possessed.

In an article published by The Player’s Tribune, Bryant disclosed his strategy to defeat Allen. He studied how white sharks hunted seals to help him get a better understanding of his defense against Allen. 

“Working harder wasn’t enough,” Bryant wrote. “I had to study this man maniacally. I obsessively read every article and book I could find about AI. He added, “I obsessively watched every game he had played, going back to the IUPU All-American Game.“

Further, he wrote, “I obsessively studied his every success, and his every struggle. I obsessively searched for any weakness I could find.

“This led me to study how great white sharks hunt seals off the coast of South Africa.“

Judgment day for Kobe

Kobe finally got a chance to redeem himself when Kobe’s then-coach, Phil Jackson, assigned him to guard AI on 20 February 2000. Allen had 16 points at the half and remained at 16 even till the end of the game.

However, even though Kobe considered this a “sweet revenge”, he later wrote “But I wasn’t satisfied after the win. I was annoyed that he had made me feel that way in the first place. I swore, from that point on, to approach every matchup as a matter of life and death. No one was going to have that kind of control over my focus ever again.”

Also Read: “I Flipped the Table, Threw the Chairs, Broke the TV.”: When Allen Iverson Managed to Make Kobe Bryant Mad.

SOURCE: The Player’s Tribune