Getty Kobe Bryant
Fans of the Los Angeles Lakers and Kobe Bryant alike can rest easy. While one of the most ‘Black Mamba’ moments of Bryant’s career was nearly proven to be less awesome than we thought, we can now all safely pivot back.
Thanks to a video posted by ESPN, we now have proof that the fake pass Matt Barnes threw which seemed to be inches from Bryant’s face was as close as everyone originally thought.
Upon further review, the ball was THAT CLOSE to @kobebryant‘s face.
Earlier in the day, the following photo of the Barnes-Bryant situation was posted, showing Kobe standing to the side ahead of the fake pass.
But as you can see from the top video, the Black Mamba was swaying ahead of the inbounds pass, which is why a camera caught him off to the side. In reality, it was just as close, if not closer than most fans probably thought.
Realistically, we probably should have never doubted Bryant, who addressed the debate over the infamous play. As Chris Martin Palmer revealed, he apparently spoke to Bryant, who pointed out that he was indeed swaying.
Just talked to Kobe a couple minutes ago about this. He hadn’t heard about it yet. He wasn’t worried. At all. “You gotta remember I was swaying. He did it and I didn’t balk.”
The story checks out, without question.
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WATCH: Matt Barnes’ Fake Pass Was Indeed Inches From Kobe Bryant’s Face