Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant became one of the most illustrious scorers in NBA history after his 20 year-career, which featured plenty of battles against some of the best defenders.
Especially come playoff time, Bryant truly had to work for his points, but it seemed no matter who was defending him, he could score at will. That made for an entertaining viewing experience seeing Bryant dissect some of the league’s best defenders with his footwork.
Notably during his time with the Houston Rockets, Shane Battier spent plenty of time guarding Bryant in the postseason. Now retired, Battier gave his flowers to the Black Mamba by saying he gave him the most trouble as a defender, via The OGs with Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller:
Miller and Haslem gave Battier his flowers as he was invested in analytics and took pride on shutting down his man, no matter who it was. While the five-time champion simply scored on everyone, Battier played him very physical and got all up in his airspace.
During the Western Conference Semifinals in 2009, Bryant dissected Houston’s defense and took Battier one-on-one. Battier had help with Yao Ming and Ron Artest, Bryant’s eventual teammate, which makes Kobe’s success against the Rockets even more remarkable.
When the postseason came around, Bryant took his game up a notch and was willing to do anything possible to win a championship. That is what made him special – how dedicated he was to the Lakers and winning at a high level, leaving everything had on the floor.
It was also clear that even though they had numerous battles, Bryant and Battier shared a mutual respect for the competitors they were.
Kobe Bryant made James Harden fall in love with basketball
In Kobe Bryant’s final playoff series, he faced a young and emerging Oklahoma City Thunder team. At the time, L.A. was an aging roster and Oklahoma City had tremendous star talent in Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden as the sixth man.
The Thunder would handle the Lakers as they were unable to keep up with the fast pace, and it unfortunately began to mark the end of a successful and accomplished NBA career for Bryant. Notably, Harden would eventually sign with the Rockets where he would become an eventual MVP. Harden became a top shooting guard in the league, similar to Bryant at his prime, and recently noted that the Black Mamba made him fall in love with basketball.
Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!
