The late Kobe Bryant was one of the best basketball players ever. Much like his big brother Michael Jordan, Bryant was very competitive and never gave up. Millions of fans around the world loved Bryant for his “Mamba” mentality and clutch play. 

He has single-handedly helped his Los Angeles Lakers team to victory multiple times. During his playing career, Kobe won five NBA championships. Including a three-peat from 2000 to 2002 and a back-to-back in 2009 and 2010. He also won the Finals MVP in 2009 and 2010.

The Lakers legend never feared anyone even when playing away in front of some of the most hostile fans in the NBA. And he always gave back either by words or by his game. Kobe Bryant once revealed how he shut down a heckling Utah Jazz fan mid-game. 

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Kobe Bryant always responds one way or the other

After retiring, Kobe attended a lot of events to share his wisdom with the younger generation. During one such event, Kobe Bryant said, “There was a game in Utah during the playoffs back in the day. And uh, I’m taking the ball out of bounds. It was like the 4th quarter. A fan yelling behind me goes ‘Kobe, you’re garbage!’ I turn around and said, ‘Dude, be more creative.’ Like, we both know that’s not true, right? Say something that’s kind of somewhat realistic that can, like, needle me a little bit.”

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There must not have been any comeback after that from the fan. At least the fan wouldn’t forget this moment. This is just an example of how nothing seemed to faze Kobe Bryant. Even though it is just one fan, you could see how Kobe can be in the middle of a playoff game. Ironically, Kobe played his final game against the Utah Jazz and scored 60 points.

Kobe Bryant has multiple times shown his calmness on some of the biggest stages. Every NBA fan knows the legendary moment between Matt Barnes and Kobe. It didn’t have anything with his scoring or defensive abilities. 

After going back and forth with Bryant, Matt Barnes went to take the ball out of bounds and tried to intimidate Kobe, faking the ball to his face. But Bryant didn’t even flinch and had his eyes set on Barnes’. Matt Barnes then ended up playing with Kobe Bryant and the Lakers. And he always speaks highly of Bryant.

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Even after retiring, Kobe displayed his immense hard work and obsession to win when he won the Oscars for his animated short film. He was the first-ever athlete to win the prestigious Oscar award. He will always be an inspiration for generations to come, that one can achieve anything if they put their mind to it.