Kobe Bryant's Top Revenge Games

Do you know why Kobe Bryant started calling himself THE BLACK MAMBA?

In 2003, Kobe Bryant was charged with sexually assaulting a 19-year-old. The situation caused a strain on his family, damaged his reputation, his brand, and jeopardized his career. Juggling court dates and games, Kobe averaged the least points in four seasons and ended the season with a disappointing loss to the Detroit Pistons in the 2004 NBA Finals.

To cope with everything he was going through, he said he needed to create an alter ego that would handle business on the court as "Kobe Bryant handled the personal challenges."

The inspiration for that alter ego came from the 2003 revenge film KILL BILL, which had a main character named THE BLACK MAMBA.

"I had to separate myself," Kobe said in the 2015 auto-documentary MUSE

"It felt like there were so many things coming at once. It was just becoming very, very confusing. I had to organize things. So I created The Black Mamba."

He was so obsessed with the film and character that he had NIKE recreate his logo by recreating the symbol on THE BLACK MAMBA'S Hattori Hanzo sword.

Nike then hired QT's friend and GRINDHOUSE co-director Robert Rodriguez to direct a short film called THE BLACK MAMBA. The film/ad featured Danny Trejo, Kanye West, and PULP FICTION star Bruce Willis.

Kobe even compared his final game in the NBA to the ending of KILL BILL 2:

"The ending of the film was the powerful part when she realizes she's accomplished her task

She goes into the bathroom, lays on the floor and starts crying. It all comes out. Up until that point, she didn't realize the journey she was on. When that journey is completed, you have this emotional release.

KOBE'S AIRBALL REVENGE ON THE JAZZ

Kobe Bryant's Revenge Game vs the Jazz, 1st GM Since The Airball Game

The lasting image from the final scene of the final game of Kobe's rookie season is Shaquille O'Neal putting his arm around a dejected 18-year-old Kobe. The dejection was from shooting three airballs in the final minute of overtime in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals.

Shaq on what he said to Kobe during that image: "You know what, you might have shot four airballs. See all these people in here laughing at you, just remember that when we meet these guys next year."

Six months later, the Lakers season tipped off with a game against the Utah Jazz

Shaq had to sit out because the league was investigating him slapping Jazz center Greg Ostertag during the morning shootaround.

KARL MALONE: "Before we could even respond, Ostertag's on the ground looking for his contact. It ruined him for the rest of our career."

Kobe didn't get the start (more about that and Coach Dell Harris later), but he scored a game-high 23 points in the 104-87 win

Many of those points came from SportsCenter-worthy moves on every Jazz defender:

• And-1 dunk on Chris Morris
• Spin move and then a finger roll on Horny Hornacek
• Baseline drive and reverse layup on Shandon Anderson
• Spin move and dunk on Jacque Vaughn

KOBE'S REVENGE ON HIS ROOKIE COACH

Kobe Bryant's 62 Points Through 3 Quarters 🔥

After his breakout revenge game against the Utah Jazz, you would think Coach Dell Harris would have found a way to give the Kobe some extra minutes.

Nope! He played under 20 minutes in his next two games and scored four points each. As shocking as those minutes sound, according to Shaq, Harris often wanted to play Kobe less minutes but was pressured by Lakers owner Jerry Buss to "play the kid."

As expected, the 19-year-old kid wasn't very fond of Harris

Neither were some of his teammates. Point guard Nick Van Exel once called Harris a "cancer on the Lakers."

The Lakers fired Harris after just 12 games into Kobe's third season. The team then went on a 10-game win streak. As for Kobe, he made his first of 14 All-NBA teams that season.

During the 2006 season, Kobe had one of his greatest games

After three quarters, he outscored the entire Dallas Mavs team 62-61. When asked about his motivation, he mentioned one person:

"Del Harris! When I was a rookie, I hated Del," Bryant said. "I always said if I get a chance to get revenge, I'm going to get it.

"That being said, he pushed me back then to try to be as efficient as possible to get some minutes on the floor. I had to earn everything I got. I'm very appreciative now. But I'd be lying if I said that wasn't part of the motivation."

Kobe vs Mavs after 3 Quarters

• Points: 62 | 61
• Field Goals: 18-31 | 22-65
• Threes: 4-10 | 0-10
• Free Throws: 22-25 | 17-24

KOBE'S REVENGE ON MARK CUBAN

Kobe Bryant 38 Points vs. Dallas Mavericks ("Amnesty" Game) - Full Highlights 24/02/2013 🐍

Like KILL BILL, I'm beginning to think that telling Kobe's revenge stories will be so long that I might have to break this post up into two parts: Kobe's revenge stories and everyone else in the NBA's revenge stories (Part 2 coming soon).

This section is also Part 2 of Kobe getting revenge on the Dallas Mavericks

In February 2013, Mavs owner Mark Cuban motivated the 34-year-old vet after appearing on a radio show and saying the Lakers might have to consider dropping Kobe with the amnesty clause.

"If you look at their payroll, even if Dwight comes back, you've got to ask the question: Should they amnesty Kobe? You just don't know, right? It's the same reason I wouldn't get rid of Dirk."

Kobe responded two days later by scoring a game-high 38 points (62% FG) with 12 rebounds and 7 assists in the win in Dallas. 14 of his 38 came in the fourth quarter.

After the game, he told reporters, "I'm sure if (Cuban) wants to amnesty Dirk, that's something we'll be willing to entertain," and then famously tweeted, "Amnesty THAT."

Cuban responded, "It's Nice to know there is at least one team and their players, outside of the Mavs, that listen to everything I say."

Also worth mentioning is Cuban almost pulled off a trade for Kobe in 2007, months after the Dell Harris revenge game. He broke down the details during an appearance on THE BIG PODCAST WITH SHAQ.

"Do you realize how close we were to trading for Kobe in 2007? I was literally this close

I talked to Jerry Buss and worked something out with Jerry because Kobe had asked to leave. Jerry said, 'Ok, if you want to leave, we'll take care of it.'

So I talked to him, and it was going to be Josh Howard and Jason Terry and picks and no Dirk, 'cause I said, 'Anybody but Dirk.'

I remember telling this dude, 'Guess what? Kobe's going to be a Mav.' literally thought it was done. And then, Mitch Kupchak stepped up and said, 'We can't do this.' Talked Kobe out of it and the rest is history."

KOBE'S REVENGE ON PENNY

Kobe 38 pts, Shaq 31 pts,13 reb, Penny 22 pts,13 ast, season 1999 magic vs lakers

Kobe was a big Orlando Magic fan back in the mid-90s when BLUE CHIPS stars Shaquille O'Neal and Penny Hardaway were being talked about as the future 1-2 punch of the league.

After a Magic game in Philly, Kobe, with his Orlando Magic shorts, got to visit the Magic players.

KOBE: “Shaq was really nice to me when I met him. I was like 15 years old. He was really nice to me. Penny not so much. I kind of carried that with me for the rest of my career."

Here's what Penny had to say on the ALL THE SMOKE Podcast about Kobe and that locker room encounter:

“I’m in that game and Kobe calls me out. I said, 'Oh s***, this dude remembers.’

He remembered that day in Philly, and I just didn’t take it like he did, obviously. But all he needs is a little something to just get that momentum going. ‘I’m getting you back. You didn’t believe in me.

You didn’t know me.’ We went at each other in the Magic game. He was a young pup, I got the best of him in that game, but he did come to me and go, you know, ‘I want to learn, I want to be the greatest.’

And I knew then, though, that he was going to be unstoppable and unbelievable.

Penny is talking about a game from Kobe's rookie season when the 18-year-old played just 18 minutes. He had 8 points, and Penny had 21.

The first time Penny got to play a starting Kobe was in 1999. Penny was nice with 22 points and 15 assists, but Kobe was a monster.

He scored 33 of his game-high 38 points in the second half of the Lakers 20-point comeback win

Shaq also got a little revenge in his first game against the Magic in Orlando, with 31 points (74% FG) and 13 boards.

Penny had a few more decent games against Kobe, but it was an unfair battle for the most part. The Suns' Penny of the early 00s was past his prime and suffering from significant injuries, and Kobe was establishing himself as arguably the best player in the game.

The head-to-heads at the end looked like this:

• Kobe 37 - Penny 11
• Kobe 36 - Penny 11
• Kobe 31 - Penny 10
• Kobe 30 - Penny 6

KOBE'S REVENGE ON IVERSON

The Time Kobe Bryant Got His REVENGE On Allen Iverson...

One of the craziest things I have ever read about Kobe is the 12 x All-Defensive player used to study how sharks hunted seals to prepare for Allen Iverson.

VIA THE PLAYERS' TRIBUNE

I had to study this man maniacally.

I obsessively read every article and book I could find about AI. I obsessively watched every game he had played, going back to the IUPU All-American Game. I obsessively studied his every success, and his every struggle. I obsessively searched for any weakness I could find.

I searched the world for musings to add to my AI Musecage.

This led me to study how great white sharks hunt seals off the coast of South Africa.

The patience. The timing. The angles.

WHAT!?! There are so many crazy things about those sentences that Kobe wrote himself. And I also had to laugh at the word Musecage, which Kobe and his sock puppet, Little Mamba, were trying hard to make a thing.

Why was Kobe so obsessed with Iverson?

According to Kobe, it started on November 12, 1996. Kobe was frustrated because Dell Harris only played him five minutes.

He turns on the TV and hears the SportsCenter anchors (when they were comic legends) say Iverson just scored 35 at MSG. Kobe got so mad he broke the television and trashed the hotel room.

Then in 1999, Iverson dropped 41 on Kobe in his hometown of Philly. That's when Kobe became an ichthyologist

A year later, Kobe finally got revenge when he was assigned to guard Iverson in the second half of a game. AI went scoreless on 0/10 shooting and finished with just 16 points. Kobe finished with 18 points, 7 assists, and a career-high of 5 blocks.

"Revenge was sweet," Said Kobe. "But I wasn’t satisfied after the win. I was annoyed that he had made me feel that way in the first place."

A year later, the two met in the NBA Finals. After five games, Kobe was celebrating the second of three straight championships.

KOBE'S REVENGE ON SHAQ

The work beef between Shaq and Kobe | How to Make a Basket, full length

There was so much drama between Shaq and Kobe that Secret Base made an 80-minute video on it! I'll mention some highlights. Shaq tried to punch Kobe during a practice.

Kobe told Colorado detectives that Shaq paid up to $1 million in hush money to women and "I'm not the one buying love." And, of course, Shaq famously dropped this freestyle at a club:

Now that's the difference between first and last place
Kobe, N****, Tell me how my a** taste
Okay, Kobe, Tell me how my a** taste
Okay, Everybody, Kobe Tell me how my a** taste
I'm a horse, Kobe ratted me out
That's why I'm getting divorced
He said Shaq gave a b**** a mil
I don't do that cause my name Shaquille
I love em, I don't leave em'
I got a vasectomy, now I can't breed them
Everybody, Kobe how my a** taste
Yeah, you can't do without me Kobe

In 2004, David Stern was smart enough to know that everyone wanted to see the first game between Kobe and Shaq, so he made their first game against each other the Christmas game.

Despite a game-high 42 points, Kobe and the Lakers took the L in overtime against Shaq (24 points) and his new All-Star guard, Dwyane Wade (29 points and 10 assists).

Their next meeting that season was an easy win for the Miami Heat. They wouldn't face off again until a Christmas rematch in 2005. Once again, Kobe had a big game (37 points) but Santa Shaq got the win.

On January 16, 2006, Kobe finally beat his former teammate

There was some satisfaction, but it was Shaq who was holding another Championship trophy at the end of the season. This didn't sit well with Kobe because it meant Shaq now had one more ring than he did.

In their final meeting, Kobe scored a game-high 41 points, and Celtic Shaq went scoreless in 13 minutes of play

It was the second time Shaq had failed to score in an NBA game; the first was because he got injured in the opening minutes.

Kobe's revenge on Shaq 😁 #shorts

Kobe's postgame press conference after winning the 2010 NBA Finals was the best example of how bad Kobe wanted revenge on Shaq. When asked what this championship meant to him as an individual, he said:

"I got one more than Shaq. Take that to the bank. You know how I am. I don't forget anything."

RIP BLACK MAMBA. Watching you check off the names on your revenge list was a pleasure.

[HD] Kobe Bryant : I just got one more than Shaq

HONORABLE MENTION: TIM THOMAS

Kobe had a "Kill List" before he was even in the NBA. On the top of that list was Tim Thomas, who he would later play with on the infamous 1994 Patterson AAU team that included Kobe, Tim, Vince Carter and Richard Hamilton.

Here's Rip talking about Kobe losing sleep because he was so excited to "kill" Thomas.

When Kobe faced TIM THOMAS from his K1-LL list😱@AllTheSmokeProductions#shorts#kobebryant#kobe