“Playing Chess, Not Checkers”: Former NBA All-star Reveals How He Managed 60 Points on Kobe Bryant’s Lakers

Every NBA player agrees to certain games in their career as the best highlights of the talent they possessed. For Gilbert Arenas, it was his games against the Lakers’ Kobe Bryant.

The 6’3″ point guard played some phenomenal games against the legend that made him appear like a 7’3″ force.

Agent Zero joined the league four years after the Black Mamba’s entry and left four years before his exit. He enjoyed the zenith of his prime days with the Washington Wizards from 2003 to 2010. In all these seasons, all but one game from his rivalry against Kobe stood out. 

When Gilbert Arenas totally overpowered Lakers’ Kobe Bryant

It was the year 2006 regular-season game between the Wizards and the Lakers. The Wizards remained ahead of the Lakers in the entire game, but a comeback from Kobe’s men in the fourth quarter forced an OT. The Wiz eventually won, and credit went to the 60 magical points of Gilbert Arenas.

In a recent interview, the retired star remembered, “Before the 60-game, my highest average was against the Lakers. It was already sitting about 33-34. I knew what it took to be successful against the Lakers and Kobe. That’s my idol team growing up. I watched Kobe, his mannerisms, I knew he was playing Chess, not checkers. Luke Walton said, ‘Yo Kobe’s gonna shut you down tonight.’ He said this every game.”

How Phil Jackson became the prime reason why the Black Mamba failed that day?

At the beginning of the game, it was not Kobe who was guarding Gilbert. But later on, as the situation kept slipping out of hands, Kobe took the onus upon himself.

He himself had an extraordinary 45-point, 10-assist game that night. However, later in the game, legendary coach Phil tweaked the strategy, and that surprisingly didn’t work well.

Gilbert further added, “Before that game, I remember sitting on the sidewalk, I already worked out. Kobe’s on the second workout…that’s me pregame, watching him workout. Game starts… as soon as I hit three in a row, Phil Jackson yells ‘Cold, stop! Do the line-up I said… Once Kobe switched off, game was over because Phil didn’t realize these Chess moves, he done interrupted Kobe’s Chess moves.”

Still, for the three-time NBA All-star, it was his 37-point game against the Lakers when Kobe guarded him throughout the match that stands the tallest. 

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