Kobe Bryant ‘Overpowered’ LeBron James’ Stardom Through Iconic Event in 2011, As per 44 YO NBA Veteran

Published 03/14/2024, 12:00 PM EDT

The year 2011 was undeniably an epic one for the Drew League. With stars like LeBron James and James Harden bracing the floor in the pro-am league, the hood couldn’t have asked for anything more. However, more they did get. Remember the historic Kobe Bryant antic that got him playing against Harden on the Drew League floor? The 2 x NBA steals leader revisits the memorable moment that changed the trajectory of the ballers of that era and the Drew League forever.

Baron Davis talked to his hosts on the ‘Club 520’ podcast about what the environment was like when Bryant pulled up to the arena. He said, “Man, that Kobe moment. I wasn’t there. ‘Cause I brought LeBron the day before Kobe power through find out LeBron at the Drew. Everybody going crazy. About 6 o’clock, somebody’s like Kobe is coming up here tomorrow.”

He added how everyone was reacting to the big news, saying that somebody would say it’s Monday. Another would say, “So what? Kobe said he wanted to get a game in.” It was surprising to have a match on Monday because Drew league does not have any matches during the week. Continuing his tale, Davis said, “I go out of town, everybody in their Mamba showed up on a Monday.”

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Showing his astonishment at the news, he said, “We brought him (LeBron) to the Drew to play in the game. Kobe was sitting at home like hold on let’s set this up for me.” After mocking the legendary player for being impromptu, Davis also said that the presence of these two big players in the East (LA) side was the biggest news and a turn-around point for everyone. But how did they all perform in the game?

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Kobe Bryant in the Drew League

The humongous news was quick to spread like wildfire. Three days before Kobe reached the Drew League, Bron had already amazed the spectators with his 33 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists. However, this caught Bryant’s eye, and he wanted to outdo the then-Miami Heat forward.

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While James had already left, Bryant played against the young trash-talking James Harden and beat him with 45 points to his name. To date, the 2011 Drew League competition is remembered as one of the most Kobe Bryant things that the LA Lakers superstar had done. Moreover, this is how he pushed King James’ name forward by trying to beat him in this competition. What are your thoughts on this?

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Written by:

Srashti Sharma is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports, known for her in-depth researching skills. From the very first time that she heard about Kobe Bryant, she herself cultivated a Mamba Mentality. She loves the competitive nature of the sport which fuels her inner sportswoman.

Edited by:

Bhujaya Ray Chowdhury

Kobe Bryant ‘Overpowered’ LeBron James’ Stardom Through Iconic Event in 2011, As per 44 YO NBA Veteran

Kobe Bryant in the Drew League

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