The Los Angeles Lakers brought in former Boston Celtics Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart this offseason on a two-year contract after being bought out by the Washington Wizards. Smart is arguably the Lakers’ best defensive player, but is two years removed from when he was being argued as one of the league’s best defensive players. And at one time, was tasked with guarding a veteran Kobe Bryant.
Smart was drafted by the Celtics in 2014, which means his time in the NBA overlapped with Kobe’s for two seasons. He was seen as an elite defender immediately after being drafted, and he was given the Bryant assignment during his first few matchups with the Lakers.
Fast forward 10 years and Smart is now a member of the Lakers, and to celebrate NBA Defense Week, he spoke about what it was like to defend Kobe for the first time:
Guarding Kobe. A moment you never forget 💜
NBA Defense Week pic.twitter.com/I7WcMkIRap
— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) August 8, 2025
Bryant is one of the most impactful players on the current generation of NBA stars. Just about every player playing today cites Kobe as either one of their favorite players, an inspirational figure or someone who they were most excited to face off against. Snart certainly seems to be in that category.
And now, Smart gets to take the same court that Kobe took for 17 years and play underneath the two jerseys that hang permanently in the rafters with Bryant on the back.
Marcus Smart guards 16-year-old Luka Doncic
Before Luka Doncic became an global superstar for the Dallas Mavericks — and now, the Lakers — he was dominating EuroLeague action as a member of Real Madrid. He won MVP of the league in his age-18 season before making the leap to the NBA and being drafted No. 3 overall. Now, seven years later, he’s a member of the Lakers and gearing up for his first full season in purple and gold.
Joining him in the backcourt is Marcus Smart, the former Celtics defensive stalwart and 2021-22 Defensive Player of the Year. Smart has dealt with injuries and playing for a tanking franchise, which has limited him both in games and quality of play over the last two seasons, but Doncic and the Lakers believe that elite defensive player is still there, which is why Luka helped recruit Smart to L.A.
Perhaps one of the reasons for Doncic’s admiration for Smart goes back to his days with Real Madrid. When he was 16 years old, he faced off against Smart and the Celtics in a preseason game and got his first glimpse of NBA defense in his future teammate.
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