Miami Heat Legend Dwyane Wade and current Portland Trailblazers forward Carmelo Anthony were on Instagram Live on Friday evening and discussed a variety of different topics such as wine brands, LeBron James saving Melo in the Bahamas and their favorite Kobe Bryant Stories.
Melo went first and revealed his favorite Kobe story was from his rookie season in Denver with the Nuggets and of course, Bryant was with the Lakers.
“It’s hard to speak to people when you come on the court, ’cause you don’t know what their mentality is. They might dub you, right? They might not even say nothin’ to you. They might not shake your hand,” Anthony said. “So, Kob comes on the court—gives me dap, I give him dap. So, throughout the game, he’s sayin’ little shit to me, like, ‘Oh yeah, we’re gonna let you go off now, until the fourth quarter. I’mma guard you in the fourth quarter.”
Melo was caught off guard and wondered why Bryant wasn’t guarding him through the first-three quarters. Not grasping the concept of conversing energy from Bryant’s perspective.
“So, the game goes on and the fourth quarter comes. I mean he’s getting every call, he’s foulin’, they not callin’ shit. And he’s like, ‘I told you … Let’s go, let’s give the world what they want to see,” Anthony said. “He’s foulin’ me, grabbin’ me; he comes down, I foul him hard … we just talkin’ trash.”
“After the game, he came to me and he was like, ‘You got my respect,” Anthony said. “I’m like, ‘What are you talkin’ about? We got to play for your respect?’ … [Bryant] was like, ‘Nah, you didn’t back down … I wanted to see if you were gonna stand the test of time’ … but for him to almost crown me … That’s my story. I didn’t know I was being tested by him, but being tested, and passing the test without even knowing.”
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Carmelo’s teammate Damian Lillard just recently shared his favorite Kobe story as well.
“My personal Kobe [Bryant] story was my first All-Star game in 2014 in New Orleans. I showed up to the game with a teammate, so that was good for me that I wasn’t just out there by myself. Me and LA [LaMarcus Aldridge] made the All-Star team my second year. So, that made a little bit more comfortable, but it is a little bit uncomfortable for young players. I saw it in a lot of players that made their first All-Star team this year. Just walking into the locker room, you can tell who was nervous.
He continued explaining what it was like in his first All-Star game in New Orleans.
“I walk in like I was a little nervous and there is Dirk [Nowitzki], Blake Grifin, Dwight [Howard], KD [Kevin Durant], and Kobe [Bryant]. I mean, it was like the real thing, and me and AD [ Anthony Davis] were second-year players. We go in Kobe was hurt, so Kobe walks in with a suit and had some shades on. He walked in and walks up was like, “man, you belong here, and when you get out there, shoot it, Lillard said.
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Blazers’ Carmelo Anthony Details First Interaction With Lakers’ Kobe Bryant