Rivals in the NBA jerseys, friends, when on country duty! That’s what one expects to see when on court, and it has been the case for a long time. Similarly, during Team USA’s gold medal run at the Paris Olympics this summer, a great friendship was seen among the players, especially between LeBron James and Anthony Edwards. But wait, exception is the mother of all theories. We would be fooled if we were sold on Edwards and James’ lighthearted and heartwarming interaction in Game 3! Because, come next, tensions rose in Game 4. And this was with Edwards shifting from friendly to fiery, seemingly physically challenging James. And he had a bizarre reason for doing so. One person who understands his reasoning is Dwyane Wade, who was reminded of one of his viral moments with Kobe Bryant.

Throughout the game, Edwards shoved James multiple times until he was finally called for a personal foul. When asked about it, he explained his perspective on going up against the veteran. “Just letting him know that we here. You ain’t just gonna push us around all night. I mean, because I’m not gonna lie, he’s strong,” Edwards told the media.

In the latest episode of The Time Out, Wade seemingly compared Edwards’ gesture to that of the young players who finally elevate to be seen as competition by older players, rather than just as up-and-comers. He recalled how the incident reminded him of the moment when he accidentally broke Bryant’s nose, which is now a viral clip circulating on social media quite often, even till now.

“How I elbow Kobe, I take him out the air, he f— me up. When I first came in the league, that’s how that once you got the superstars to know you were there and to look you in the face and respect you. What Ant is doing to Bron, I’m here, I’m grabbing you, I’m chucking you, I ain’t letting you go, I’m talking to you how Ja talked to him like when they talk back when they acknowledge you,” Wade explained.

“When I see Shai, when I see all these young guys, I’m like, they got the respect of the older guys,” Wade said. He said that Bryant’s retaliation made him feel acknowledged. During the 2012 All-Star Game, Wade was playing for the Eastern Conference team against the Western Conference team, which featured Bryant. This is when the incident happened. However, it was unintentional.

Earlier, in a conversation with fellow Hall of Famer Kevin Garnett, Wade mentioned that he even apologized. However, he received an unexpected response from Bryant. The Lakers legend thanked him.

Kobe Bryant’s revenge game against Dwyane Wade

Bryant’s message of gratitude to Wade baffled him even more. “I called him and said, ‘Yo Kob,’ and he was like, ‘Bro, I love it.’ I’m like, He’s like, ‘I love it, I’ll see you in a couple of days.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh snap.’ And he gave it to me, too, boy,” Wade recalled. While it seemed illogical at first, the Flash understood the true meaning sometime later. What Wade unintentionally did only served to pump up Bryant’s competitive spirit. And it was evident in the next matchup at Staples Center between the Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. 

This was yet another opportunity where the two faced each other head to head, and Bryant wasn’t interested in losing. During this time, Bryant wore a transparent or black mask. This look gained quite a bit of popularity among fans. While a little extra competition was expected, the Lakers legend took it up a notch with a 28-20 lead by halftime. 

He dropped 33 points, shooting 14-for-23 in the game, to lead the Lakers to a win over the Heat. Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum combined for 27 points and 23 rebounds. And now, it makes more sense after the game as to why the former NBA player thanked Bryant for the injury. That’s the Mamba Mentality.