If there’s one thing we’ve learned about Kobe Bryant over the course of the last 20 years, it’s that he never forgets when someone slights him. Kobe’s high school coach once told him that he believed Vince Carter was a better player than him and, earlier this season, Kobe revealed that he still remembers it. Prior to a Lakers game against the Grizzlies, Kobe said that that slight motivated him for a long time.
After the Lakers game against the Wizards last night, Kobe revealed that he also remembers a time when he felt slighted by Penny Hardaway. Reporters asked him if he used to collect the autographs of NBA players, since Kobe has gotten into the habit of handing out his autograph to just about anyone who has asked for it this season. And he replied by saying that, before entering the NBA, his dad Joe “Jellybean” Bryant helped him secure the autographs of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and ironically enough, Shaquille O’Neal. But of course, the autograph Kobe seems to remember the most came from Hardaway, who, according to Kobe, wasn’t very nice when he met him:
“I kinda carried that with me for the rest of my career”? LOL. Classic Kobe. No one holds a grudge quite like him.
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[via Lakers Nation]
