“It was devastating,” Kobe Bryant’s former teammate revisits the day the basketball community lost one of its greatest. The news back in 2020 hit so hard that no one wanted to believe what they heard. And Metta World Peace, fka Ron Artest, was no exception. Appearing on an episode of ‘The LADE Show’, he remembers being in a state of disbelief when he first heard the tragic news of Kobe’s demise and also revealed that he might have heard the chopper he was in.

“I live in the valley, so you hear the pjs, private jets, and you hear everything. I do remember hearing a chopper that day, which is, like, still very subtle to me. And I remember that day because you couldn’t see nothing,” Metta stated. He further mentioned that he got a call from a guy whom he took to the LA Lakers‘ game once, telling him that Kobe passed away. Metta was in such disbelief that he called up Lou Williams and Kevin Garnett, who told him that the news was true.

“After that, it’s like, that’s it. You just mourning, and it’s just hard to believe,” he said. The tragic news was so hard to digest for Metta that he states to be waiting for Kobe to walk through. “I’m like, no way. I know he about to walk through my backyard right now…And I was waiting for it. Just waiting for it. Like, come on.” 

Even though the Black Mamba and Peace were not among the closest of friends, around 5 years of playing together for the same team certainly developed a bond between the two.

Metta World Peace and Kobe Bryant: A bond based on mutual respect

Metta played for the Los Angeles Lakers from 2009-2013 and then again rejoined the team in 2015-2017. During his time with the Lakers, both Metta and Kobe developed a bond of mutual respect. This is something which both the stars have mentioned on numerous occasions.

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In fact, the 5x NBA champion praised Metta for his impact on “everybody on the floor defensively”. This came after Metta, playing for the Lakers in 2015, witnessed a 104–98 win over the Brooklyn Nets. Metta too has reciprocated a similar respect for his former teammate.

So much so that he mentioned that although he was just one year younger than Kobe, he wanted to impress the Black Mamba when it came to the game. Bryant’s passing hit the whole basketball world hard. One can only imagine what his former teammates and friends would have gone through upon hearing the news.

“Kobe Don’t Care”- Metta World Peace Recalls Heated Moment with Kobe Bryant