Kobe Bryant led the Los Angeles Lakers to five NBA championships during his Hall of Fame playing career that spanned two decades.
Bryant guided the Lakers to three consecutive NBA Finals appearances from 2008-2010, which included two matchups against the rival Boston Celtics.
Kobe led all scorers with 30.1 points per game during the 2008 NBA playoffs, but the Lakers ultimately fell short to the Celtics. Bryant would get his revenge two years later, when L.A. knocked off Boston in seven games en route to earning Finals MVP honors.
Celtics great and Lakers nemesis Paul Pierce was often tasked with guarding Bryant when the two teams played. During an appearance on Fox Sports’ “SPEAK,” Pierce offered high praise for Kobe and said he was the closest player to Michael Jordan:
“If I had to sum it up in one word, just one word, facing Kobe was stressful… Do you know he was at the peak of his powers when we played him? He won the MVP that year. It was hard to get sleep because now you going against the Mamba — the second coming of [Michael] Jordan. I idolized Jordan, but when I saw and looked at Mamba’s eyes, I saw Jordan’s reflection… You gotta understand what those film sessions looked like. This guy, he showed us he could go for 60 in a half. Like, who today do we believe could do that? I don’t think playing today, there’s not one player that could do something like that.”
Pierce’s comments are in line with many others who played against Bryant, often mentioning the Lakers legend alongside Jordan as two of the greatest basketball players to ever step on the court.
It has nearly been a decade since Bryant last played in the NBA, but his impact is as strong as ever, with athletes across all sports still citing him as a major influence in their careers.
Tony Allen shares funny Kobe Bryant story
Tony Allen is considered one of the greatest perimeter defenders of his generation and faced off against Kobe Bryant many times over the years.
Allen recently shared a funny story of Bryant occasionally talking in Spanish to Lakers teammate Pau Gasol, which was an indicator of some kind of audible coming to catch other players off guard.
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