Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was ruthless to anyone he saw on the court, including his own teammates.
During his early playing days, Kobe was known for butting heads with teammates. His feud with Shaquille O’Neal was well-documented as the two alphas had their fair share of drama, but the big man wasn’t the only one to fight with Bryant.
For example, Rick Fox was a player that didn’t back down from anyone, including someone like Bryant. In an appearance on the via The Giant Ideas Podcast, Fox revealed that he actually physically fought Kobe multiple times to earn his respect:
“Kobe, you need to fight. Kobe doesn’t respect you unless you challenge him, like all the way up to fighting. Physically fighting. And he and I had our share of fights in practice… But that was his basketball love language. If you didn’t back down to him, then he respected you. And a lot of people didn’t actually get that because he was Kobe Bryant. So if he challenged you, the natural thing to do would be to wilt — right? Especially if you’re a younger player coming up. But that was his way, similar to Michael Jordan — their way of testing whether or not they could trust you in the foxhole. If things went down, are you going to wilt, fold, and run away? Or are you going to stand with me and fight? So if you won’t fight me and I’m the biggest, baddest animal, as they would feel they are in the jungle — then how do I know you got my back? How do I know you’re going to cover my back?”
Fights among teammates aren’t uncommon in the NBA, and from the sound of it Fox never backed down from Bryant despite his reputation. Kobe always seemed to gravitate towards players who weren’t afraid to mix it up, and Fox certainly fit the mold because of his tough and gritty play style.
There’s a mental aspect to Bryant’s poking as he was also famous for playing mind games. For example, Gordon Hayward recounted how he had to prove to Bryant he was serious about improving so Fox’s story is completely believable.
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