The Los Angeles Lakers in the 2003 NBA Draft selected Luke Walton with the 32nd pick in the second round out of the University of Arizona.
During his rookie season with the Los Angeles Lakers, he was out partying apparently the night before practice. He showed up to the Lakers facility, smelling like alcohol, and Kobe Bryant didn’t appreciate it and proceeded to drop 70 plus.
“I remember one time my rookie year, I came in a little, uh, him [Kobe] and Shaq like to do this as, I think it was just rookies, but any young guy, I probably had too much to drink the night before, so I came in, I was a rookie, I felt good, and they could smell some alcohol on me,” said Walton. “And Kobe informed the rest of the team that no one was allowed to help me on defense, and that I had to guard him the entire practice.”
“I was laughing at first like, ‘Oh, this is funny,’ but in Kobe’s mind, in his eyes, it was like, ‘No, I see and smell weakness, I’m going to destroy you today.’ He taught me that lesson. He probably scored 70-something in practice that day, and I was begging for help, none of the teammates would help. But yeah, his killer instinct and his work ethic, they’ll stick with me forever.”
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Former Knick Shares how Kobe Bryant Torched in the Fourth Quarter
Iman Shumpert was a recent guest on the Ebro in the Morning show and details how he was having the game of his life against Kobe Bryant in ‘The Garden’. Shumpert was able to get the best of Bryant through three quarters, but when the fourth quarter round around it was over.
“I guarded Kobe in the Garden. I can’t remember how much he had, but I know I had multiple steals against him, to where in the game, in my head, all I’m thinking of is, when I have this conversation with my brother after the game, how I’m going to tell him how I stole the ball from Kobe. How I stripped Kobe before he was going to take a shot, how I drove by Kobe, and got a dunk. Like, I’m thinking about all these things in my head, and I’m so geeked, said Shumpert.
“The fourth quarter starts, and Kobe said, ‘You had a great game. Yo, you had a great game, young fella.’ I swear I looked at the clock like, I’m looking like, ‘There’s 12 minutes [left], what are you talking about?’ What was that, you know what I’m saying? You ain’t, said nothing the whole game. I’ve been talking s—, I done stole the ball, I’m hyped as hell, it’s Kobe Bryant. He ain’t said not one word to me. ‘Great game, young fella.’ Locked in.
“The man comes down, you remember, he came shot fake, shot fake, threw it off the glass, caught it, threw it to the corner. I’m like, ‘Bro, what you on? Like, bro, you have been regular all game.’”
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Lakers’ Kobe Bryant Dropped 70-Plus in Practice, Says Kings’ Luke Walton