(Photo by Greg Doherty/Getty Images for 2K)
Before Kobe Bryant and Matt Barnes became teammates and close friends while playing alongside each other on the Los Angeles Lakers, they were considered to be bitter rivals, with one moment, in particular, sparking what appeared to be a heated relationship on the basketball court.
During a game between the Orlando Magic and the Lakers, Barnes and Bryant got close to throwing blows at one another, with the five-time NBA champion elbowing the Magic forward multiple times in the stomach where the referees couldn’t see it.
Barnes got increasingly frustrated with Bryant’s antics that he instinctually did a ball fake in the Lakers superstar’s face on an inbounds play, which sparked literally no reaction from Bryant and had some calling him not human because of how close Barnes got to hitting him in the face with the basketball.
Although there was clearly bad blood between the two at the time, Bryant greatly respected Barnes because he wouldn’t back down to him, which resulted in him recruiting the UCLA product to the Lakers.
Barnes recently discussed the ball-fake incident on “Podcast P with Paul George” and how it drove a great admiration between the two, ultimately making them great friends and teammates in Los Angeles.
“It’s really what sparked our brotherhood,” Barnes said.
“It’s really what sparked our brotherhood.”
Matt Barnes details the ball fake on Kobe & the wild aftermath that came with it pic.twitter.com/lmIdbtTgFM
— Podcast P with Paul George (@PodcastPShow) April 7, 2024
Apparently, as a result of testing Bryant on the court, Barnes received death threats where fans threatened his life as well as the lives of his children, but that all changed when he became a Laker.
Barnes ended up joining Bryant on the Lakers for two seasons before moving on to the Los Angeles Clippers, but during their short time together, they became close and kept that relationship for the rest of his life.
The former Bruins star was among the few who built a close relationship with Bryant during his playing days due to his hard work and never-back-down mentality on the court.
The post Matt Barnes Has Wild Admission About Ball Fake On Kobe Bryant appeared first on The Cold Wire.