[Highlight] 18 years ago Kobe with the hit stick on Gasol.
All I can think of when I see this is Chris Bosh’s reaction from the documentary
Such a dick move and it’s funny how they tried to frame it as Kobe being the ultimate competitor or trying to toughen up Pau after the Celtics series. This was also back then where every euro player was seen as soft just because they were euro lol
Kobe knew Gasol wasn’t soft lol. This was about setting examples. You don’t play harder against your best friends? I know damn well I do
Kobe was also a huge asshole
And a 5 time champion
Bill Russell got 11 rings and was a terrific human, sick of this “gotta be an asshole to be a competitor”
That’s why I always laughed at “mamba mentality” because Kobe’s idol MJ was never a try-hard who would do corny shit like that, just let his play on the court do all the talking.
Then again, “mamba mentality” also came after the rape when Kobe was trying to rebuild his image (old heads remember all the lame motorcycle vids - fake/manufactured vibes were always strong w/Kobe lmao).
MJ had his own flavor of toxic competitiveness no doubt but usually it had an endearing quality to it especially in hindsight - like those hilarious Larry Bird stories you come across. Kobe was just a dick. Also the rape.
Am I going crazy? Wtf are you talking about? MJ was a fucking asshole too lmfao and not in a good way
It helps when someone doesn’t have other advantages. Kobe wasn’t the best athlete or best shooter but he was a fucking psycho and that was his way to find greatness
Mostly carried by Smush Parker, to be fair
That’s not playing harder. That’s just a cheap shot.
Nothing better then heavily off base takes from folks who weren’t around for the moment.
Pau had just spent the last month in the finals taking similar and worse beatings from the entire Celtics team. A big reason the lakers lost that finals. Kobe setting the tone for the Pau and the Lakers. Hint: it worked. Revisionist bum
Draymond Green was just “setting the tone” when he punched Jordan Poole in the face.
You just compared this to getting clocked in the face? What is wrong with you g?
lol. I didn’t know you were Kobe’s Jiminy Cricket.
It was also just unnecessary, you think they thought Kobe wasn’t going to play all out in the GOLD MEDAL GAME, just because his teammate is on the other team?
If it took the cheap shot to deliver that message, then that’s a different problem
There’s a difference between playing harder and purposely running through a player for the sake of running through someone. Who needs enemies when you got friends like this guy playing basketball like its football
Crazy how Pau took this better in the moment than you are years later,
Pau’s the god father to his children. Dude must be really holding a grudge over this.
It was to set the tone. I think it was in the bounds of being competitive.
This is such an L take, Kobe was just trying to set the tone and tell Pau “hey we’re usually teammates, but right now it’s fuck you, we want to win”.
I think the message was for his USA teammates not Pau. Like - I’m willing to truck my brother in the chest for this team, get on my level.
It’s all of the above tbf. It’s about the mental message he’s sending to everyone on the court.
The message is fuck y’all I’ma win at all costs.
Dude was just playing ball. Why do people create all of these narratives as if he planned this all along?
this dude calls a foul every time he misses in pickup ^
Probably never played a real game in his life cuz nobody ever picked him to play with them
Complete 🐈 take
Average dead rapist fanboy
^Average woman masquerading as a man
I know women with clits larger than your ballsack
Complaining about this is charmin soft lol
It actually was what he was doing, he was setting the tone for that team. If you’re old enough to remember USA was destroyed in 2004. Weird take though.
This wasn’t a dick move. Spain was the US”s biggest competition and it absolutely set a tone.
That was the point.
Only a complete 🐈 would have this take
Go eat your wheaties
Lol you people are so weird man.. my brothers and I damn near wrestle with each other and throw elbows at one another playing pick up ball.
You think top professionals aren’t trying to do the same to one another?
It’s not that serious to call it a dick move, he ran him over straight at his chest. He wasn’t trying to injure him.
What a weird way to say you haven’t played competitve team sports. If I see my captain run through his Spanish teammate to set the tone, I know we’re going for gold. And the cherry on top is Pau got jumped right back up, with a smirk and shared in the doc he knew this was coming.
Kobe is a europlayer himself though, right? Wasn’t he Italian as a kid?
He was always Black. You’re thinking of Michael Jackson
Black is not a nationality, you can be black and raised anywhere.
It’s a joke
He was partially raised in Italy and spoke Italian, but he was never actually an Italian citizen
Did you just ask if Kobe Bryant used to be Italian? Cause he was born in Philly
“18 years ago” BRUH
This play is old enough to vote
In the state of Colorado?
I assume it applies to all states but it’s the age you can vote in federal elections.
We don’t talk about that state here. It was invented by LeBron fans.
You can tell from the half-life of remaining pixels after the originals were cut in half annually.
Yessss I can’t believe it’s been that long. I was shocked
Shit hurt my soul to read
Gasol thought shit was sweet
I’m running through paus fucking chest
We about to beat the shit outta Spain
Before Cal and Arozarena, there was Kobe and Gasol
What Kobe did was not some petty shit like refusing to shake hands lmao.
Kobe galvanized his entire team this game. LeBron and the rest of the Redeem Team were clearly inspired by this and felt they couldn’t let Kobe down.
Cal just brought bad juju to US baseball and got even American fans to root for Venezuela in the final
They didn’t to be galvanized lmao
Tim Duncan’s leadership style led them to a bronze medal. And that Spain team is arguably the best non-American international basketball side of all time
Surely this means my mariners will go to 3 straight world series, winning 2 of them right? No?
Maybe just 1 appearance then?
Please?
Brother… You might want to sit down first… I don’t know how to tell you this but… we’re meant to forever suffer :‘)
Tone setter.
You gotta love it
If you hate this you don’t hoop. Being a dick to one of your friends when you get matched up is a shared experience for anyone that regularly plays
You heard it guys, pack it up, 18banners says you’re not a real hooper lol
Yep you aren’t a real baller unless you attempt an attack on your friend
Bro called it an attack
I am not a “mamba mentality” fan in the slightest but calling it an attack is the definition of soft holy
Exaggerating for comedy, bro. Relax.
“Comedy” shit had me rolling
way to back track
Go outside and touch grass.
You hate this means you dont hoop buddy
Hell yea ball is life, fk my friends
You’ve never picked up a ball in your life
Fighting through a screen and putting a teammate on their ass isn’t “attack on your friend” lmao
Lmao. I absolutely have picked up a ball. And I’m just exaggerating for comedy. Get out the basement and touch some grass
Bro called a foul an attack. Ain’t no way lmao
Sir this is a Wendy’s
It aint that I’m sure. Just a part of hooping alot of people won’t get
Yep you’re not a real banner if you don’t have 18 of them
The upvote ratio on this reply vs the OP is really just also the ratio of 🐈 in this sub LMAO
Facts hurt, keep those tears rolling 🤷♂️
Idk man it’s kind of a dirty play. What if pau hit the back of his head on the court and got a head injury
What if a goose laid a golden egg?
What if he scraped his knee and got a boo boo
bro wasn’t in a bad position to be falling - straight back, no limbs tangled up, not sent head-first or anything. if you can’t protect your head while falling like that you should learn how to fall properly before going onto the court tbh
This is a contact sport every charge can end up a head injury. If you don’t want to risk it don’t take a charge. Kobe never tried to draw a charge.
Then he will set his feet better on his next screen. This is a sport with contact. Be prepared to fall.
Nah man, Kobe deserved to die in a horrific helicopter crash because of this /s
no thats denver
Was Kobe also just being a hooper when he even being slightly criticized wouldn’t talk to his teammates anymore?
Or was he also being a hooper never taking no for no answer in Denver?
His coach wrote a book publicly criticizing Kobe and then that coach was hired again and won more chips with Kobe.
He was a shitty human being for not taking no. We know you guys think about his rape alot.
Another Kobe rap e defender
He wasn’t just a shitty human being thats someone being a dic
he should be locked up as a criminal
You defend what he does a lot someone should keep tabs on you
This is weird.
Gasol gave consent it’s ok
Clowb
Competitive ball
Reddits gonna cry about this one. They prefer the participation trophy it’s ok if we lose kinda sports.
Fr people saying this is weak like come on bruh. Play an actual sport this shit fires your team up
People run through screens in pick up games when shit gets heated. This is the fucking Olympics 🤣
Every time I watch this clip, I picture Chris Bosh’s reaction: “Yooooooo”
90% of the people posting in this sub haven’t played a sport. Definitely not competitively.
I genuinely wonder the % of them that could play a generic pickup basketball game, probably only 5%
“Reddits gonna cry about this one.”
— Guy on Reddit
PAW!
Some of yall soft af in here lol
This would’ve been the time to use “soft like Charmin”, RIP Kobe.
He didn’t miss
Love this play
Set the tone and put Gasol on his ass
🇺🇸🥇😎
Not sure it set the tone, the foul got called, unlike the 20-odd travelling infractions.
I find funny all this narrative of the 2008 redeem team or how close the 2012 final was. The 2012 final was a close score, but never in doubt and won fair and square. But that 2008 final… Sure, if they’d start calling them they could have played different, but…
I don’t think Kobe put more or less into it just because it was Gasol. He was just trying to up the physicality.
I think people read too much into this
Nah, he was specifically hunting Pau and speaks to it. IIRC it was a set play and they knew Pau was going to switch, and Kobe specifically asked for the guy he was guarding so he’d have to fight through Pau’s screen. It was all tied to Pau being labled soft and that contributing to our losing in 08. Definitely was a targeted thing, the players have openly talk about it.
Exactly, most people here were not around in 2008 but Celtics embarrassing the Lakers in the finals pissed Kobe off quite a lot because:
Funny that Kobe wanted to be an ass to Pau and now Kobe’s dead and Pau’s the player who’s done the most and helped Vanessa and their kids the most.
Seeing some comments im here, upset about this??
This is what wemby gonna do in 2028 during the olympics against Harper/castle lol
Bron on board with the plan callin out “KOBE! go Kobe!” was fire.
Its not a cheap shot. He hit him square in the chest. Pau saw it coming.
That usa team was extra soft especially after the pathetic 04 and 06 performances. They needed kobe to lead them like that
Sam Darnold is your daddy
Now that was tough. Set the standard for the whole game right there
Kobe the 🐐
Funniest part is Gasol didnt even expect Kobe to help him up, didnt even put his hand out lol.
Love this and so did everyone else at the time.
Fast forward to the WBC where Cal Raleigh didn’t shake his opponent’s hand before an at-bat and /r/baseball had a total meltdown, calling him every name in the book.
Edit for the downvoters: please explain why this was amazing and why Cal Raleigh is beyond forgivable for his actions
Let’s be real, Kobe knew he could do it and still be everybody’s favorite rape-boy. If Pau did it to Kobe, half the world would piss their pants over it and he’d risk being traded.
Kobes got the best pr of all time with that “mamba mentality” bullshit. Dude was just an asshole who got carried by shaq.
Lying sack of crap who doesn’t know shit about basketball
Is this some sort of bot comment? Does anyone know?
A lot of lebron riders in here crying , 5>4 forever you bums
this sub has turned into a bunch of b•••• ••s ••g•••
It’s the internet and you’re anonymous. You can say cuss words
He doesn’t want to say the last one 😂, he needs plausible deniability
Ong
Soft bellies from the suburbs cryin about this. Never picked up a ball in their lives
Y’all so hard behind a keyboard and you’re afraid to type BITCH I’m screaming go get your bottle baby
Sybau soft belly
Still afraid to type it I see little bitch ass whiny baby.
Go cry to your mother nephew, that is when I’m not occupying her time
Buddy, Facebook is the other site. With a pic like yours, you belong there posting about your alpha mode and sigma boys you peg or something.
Turned into? It came out the womb like this
Say it loud for the people in the back. This ain’t the wheel of fortune
Kobe the rapist being a piece of shit on and off the court
I hate this getting gassed up as if it’s not him just being an asshole
Kobe being a piece of shit
Who’d have thought it
Pau loved it and laughed about it later with kobe
The losers on this site man
Still loser shit bro
Fact Kobe helped bring him a chip doesn’t change that
Why the fuck you bringing up the chip?
Pau laughed at it after this play and game, you’re fucking sorry
You actually sound like a pussy irl.
Lmao, bro gotta deck a 19 year old against MF Spain to set the tone
Bro you’re out here commenting on reddit porn, calling other people pussies 💀
Lol, you actually sound like you never played ball in your life.
The amount of folks who don’t know ball in this thread is crazy. This is literally something Pau to this day says he loved and appreciated
Anybody who unironically says “you don’t know ball” should be the last person someone goes to for information on sports. Such an empty phrase that doesn’t actually mean shit yet losers like you pull it out like it’s the argument winner.
Someone who doesn’t know ball would say some cornball shit like this
You sound like you watch NBA podcasts on tik tok all day and are now trying to emulate the phrases they say.
I watch NBA podcasts everyday.
I don’t have tiktok
These phrases have been around before you.
Anyways, enjoy your gorilla dicks weird ass boy.
Lmao was that supposed to be an insult? I guess you’re too young to get it.
Yea too young to want to form an internet identity around pulling my dick out for a gorilla.
I’ll never grow up.
Typical Queens fan.
Soft. Pau knew why he did it, and respected it. You’re just sensitive.
who have thought
Kobe wasn’t afraid of alittle physical roughness.. male or female
18 years ago on Gasol, 23 years ago in Colorado. Consistency. #MAMBAMENTALITY
Fuck Kobe Bryant
What are you actually talking about? Pau talks about loving this moment and credits it for why he took toughening up to the next level and getting him in the mindset that contributed to our winning two chips.
Please show link where Pau says this moment made him toughen up.
Fuck him as a person.
This era of the nba really was the cornballocaust
You made that up?
When I hear someone talk about this while attempting to talk Kobe up, I know it’s someone not worth listening to.
Edit: this is hilarious, blatant messed up behavior and you have all these weirdo wannabe “alphas” running to Kobe’s rescue. It’s pathetic.
Didn’t LeBron talk Kobe up for doing this in the documentary?
You mean the dude everyone here calls a cornball?
The guy who just straight up lies about shit, like knowing Kobe was gonna go for 80 against Toronto?
Yeah, no I don’t listen to that guy.
You mean the dude who went to 8 straight finals? I find it hilarious all of the players including Pau respected this in the heat of competition yet losers on Reddit cry about it.
Yeah you never played anything competitive
The pinnacle of sportsmanship
It’s called setting the tone. This was the gold medal game and USA won bronze in the previous Olympics. His teammates saw this and locked in, it raises the level of play. It’s like a coach getting a tech on purpose to try and get his team fired up
No matter how you try to frame it, it’s weak shit. Only weak people would do it. And only weak people find it a strong move.
I guess only weak people win gold medals then 🤣
It is hilarious to make this disingenuous argument when Team USA was heavily favored in the match up, yet you think it was critical for Kobe to pull a bitch move in order to gain an upper hand.
Your stance is weak and so was your precious Kobe, who also raped a teen. One wonders what he would have had to do to lose your support.
Bruh team USA was favored in 2004 as well. You definitely never played sports in your life. It’s not all sunshine and rainbows out there. I guarantee you no professional athlete would call this a weak move.
“Only weak people would do it”
We won gold bro lol
You’re just soft
You mean the much more talented team won? Wow, so glad Kobe pulled a bitch move to give a slight advantage in the fucking Olympics. Of all events, it’s nuts y’all praise this shit.
You’re so soft man. It’s incredible.
Kobe ran through a screen and put Gasol on his ass. Set the tone of physicality. I loved it when I watched it live.
We won gold. Be happy about that!
This is tame compared to the shit the Pistons were doing when they won back to back titles in 89 and 90.
He ran through a screen very hard lol.
Its ok they’ll post the Steven Adams decking Pat Beverly clip on here soon and gas that up.
Calling the Kobe play “blatantly messed up behavior “ is some wild hyperbole.
It was a hard foul.
Yeah this sub is trash dude. Bunch of people on here posting the same narratives and repeating the same jokes ad nauseam.
You mean like Pau who talked this moment up, credited Kobe and said it contributed to his mindset that helped him win two titles?
Or LeBron who also said this set the tone for the team?
Why are Pau and LeBron not worth listening to?
[removed]
Someone never played sports before
They hadn’t won a ring together at that point & LeBron, Wade & even Gasol said it set the tone so I don’t know how a fan who isn’t in huddles or the bench is calling it unnecessary. Crazy Gasol doesn’t care & even sounded complimentary about it & you’re the one touched
They famously had not won a ring yet, learn your team history.
Probably forgot to update to a Philly flair lol
11 day old account?
Bringing up the trial with zero relevance?
Thinks the Lakers already won titles during the 08 Olympics?
Triple check
Do you also get upset if someone says “get that shit outta here” when they block someone?
They hadn’t won yet
It wasn’t to show Pau his will to win. It was to set the tone for Kobe’s teammates that they’re not there to play grab ass with their friends.