In the grueling arena of the NBA, where legends are forged, a teenage Kobe Bryant didn’t just survive, but he thrived. Long before he became the Black Mamba, the young Bryant was busy making seasoned veterans question their defensive prowess. Just ask John Stockton whose notorious picks couldn’t slow the young phenom, or Bruce Bowen, whose suffocating defense seemed to fuel Bryant’s competitive fire rather than extinguishing it. Moreover, even his own coaches were not safe from his on-court antics.
In a recent episode of Byron Scott’s Fast Break, 5x NBA champion Michael Cooper, was asked to share one of his Kobe Bryant stories. However, a story of him getting bested by the young Bryant was not on everyone’s bucket list. “He just kicked my a**. It wasn’t real good. But see you got to remember, I was forty years old going against a nineteen-year-old kid. But you know about the one thing that I really, really appreciate and I think we all saw that workout is that Jerry had certain points on the court, at the elbow, pick and roll, down the low block and off the dribbl,e he was telling Kobe, ‘okay get to that spot’… The one thing that I was impressed was with his physical strength and just his ability to be able to get to that spot,” said Cooper during the podcast.
What made this trait particularly remarkable in terms of Cooper was Bryant’s age. At just 19, most players are still finding their footing in the league, often deferring from veterans and playing it safe. Not Kobe, though. He approached each practice with the mindset of a seasoned pro, using his athletic gifts to create the shots he wanted, regardless of who was defending him. “Everytime he was supposed to do something, he got to where he was supposed to go. Did he get the shot all the time? No. But he got there, and that’s the part that being a unique NBA player, the great ones, get to where they are supposed to,” added Cooper.
Bryant was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets as the 13th overall pick in the 1996 NBA draft but was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Lakers, which was made possible by the then General Manager of the Lakers, Jerry West. Cooper, who had played with the team for 12 years, was an assistant coach when the young prospect joined the team. The story of young Kobe Bryant, as told through Cooper’s lens, isn’t just about basketball—it’s about the courage to believe in oneself when the odds seem stacked against you. However, this isn’t the only insight that the 68-year-old had given about Black Mamba.
Michael Cooper on Kobe Bryant taking advice from him
In the twelve years that Cooper had played in the league, he had won a Defensive Player of the Year title once and made it to the NBA All-Defensive First Team five times. So when he became an assistant coach for the Lakers, it was understandable for players to take advice on defense from him. The same was the case with Black Mamba.
In the same episode, Cooper was asked if Bryant had taken any advice regarding any strategy or not and the 68-year-old spared no time in answering that. “Kobe asked me one time how to defend somebody cause I was working there with the footwork and that was it. But you know what, it doesn’t take a lot to be a good defensive player, it takes the will to be a defensive player, and that’s what it is,” said Cooper during the podcast. However, he didn’t stop there.
The former Lakers assistant coach also stated that there was no need to check if Bryant had the best strategies because his ability to perform with maximum efficiency would have eventually resulted in him winning many titles. And it happened as well. The shooting guard went on to make 12 All-Defensive team appearances. It can be said that Cooper’s advice clearly resonated with Bryant, and it played a significant role in his development as a complete player.
Stay tuned for more such updates and join us for the exciting second episode of the “Dual Threat Show” as our host BG12 sits down with Georgia Bulldogs star and Mountain West All-Freshman Team Selection, Asia Avinger
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