Have you ever wished you were on Kobe Bryant’s prestigious “kill list”? The NBA veteran Tim Thomas talks about his own experience in an “All The Smoke” episode. This fascinating discovery provides a window into the rivalries and level of competition that shaped Bryant’s career.

Few rivalries in the fiercely competitive sport of basketball are as well-known as the one between Tim Thomas and Kobe Bryant. Thomas’s meeting with the Black Mamba illuminates Bryant’s competitive spirit and the effect it had on his opponents, even if their NBA careers took different turns.

Kobe Bryant‘s only concentration on Thomas

The outstanding Paterson Catholic High School prospect Timothy Thomas became involved in a feud with none other than Kobe Bryant. On the court, Thomas was a formidable opponent since he was the top-ranked player in the country. But Bryant’s unwavering quest for excellence made him Thomas’s main adversary, starting a rivalry that would come to define their basketball careers.

Driven by the need to establish himself as the nation’s best player, Kobe Bryant singled out Thomas in a crucial AAU title match. He overshadowed Thomas’s remarkable abilities and tenacity with his unwavering quest to improve his performance, making a lasting impression on the players and the spectators.

As the conversation unfolded on “ALL THE SMOKE,” 47-year-old icon, Tim Thomas shared his story, stating, “I know the game that Rip is talking about so that was our junior year I went back cuz baseball was my first love before I started growing so my junior year I went back and played baseball I did the Michael Jordan went back and played baseball that year Kobe and Rip went back to play with they Philly team right so obviously you meet in all these different circuits.” He continued, “I drove from Jersey to Maryland I got there end of the first Kobe already had like 15 right so now I’m behind the eightball. With an assassin like that, what can you do?” The room burst out laughing.

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Thomas contradicts the claims made by Hamilton

Tim Thomas denied accusations made by Rip Hamilton in a recent interview that Bryant intended to “kill” him in an AAU game. Thomas remembers a different story from Hamilton’s, emphasizing the courteous yet competitive tone of his interactions with Bryant.

“I got there like a quarter late,” recalled Thomas. “Kobe already had 20 or something like that, 15 or 20. They were already up. So I walk in the gym, like Tom Shepard, you know, no stretch, no nothing. I just walk in the gym and get busy. I think I ended up with like maybe 28, or 30, and Kobe ended up like 40 something. They end up winning the game.” 

Read More: While Speculating on Kobe Bryant’s Relationship With Parents After 2020 Memorial Silence, Former Teammate Opened Up on Vanessa’s Grief

Tim Thomas’s viewpoint refutes the legend of Kobe Bryant’s “kill list,” emphasizing respect for one another in the face of fierce rivalry. His interactions with Kobe Bryant highlighted NBA competition by highlighting tenacity over NBA mythology.

Continue Reading: “I Fell to My Knees”: Kobe Bryant Beef Forgotten, Ex-Teammate Struggled to Deal With Devastating Revelation