Si Kobe Bryant had decided to play one more season in the NBA, he could have been coached by Luke Walton, his former teammate. The situation would then have been a little funny. Not because the Black Mamba would have been coached by a former teammate, but because it would have brought back some special memories for Walton.
Before the two men won two NBA championship titles together in 2009 and 2010, they went through a somewhat complex relationship at first. In Sports Illustrated, Luke Walton, without a contract since the end of his adventure in Sacramento, had explained how Kobe had reacted to the hangover with which his teammate, who had been drafted a few months earlier, had shown up at a training.
“It was during my rookie season, in 2003-2004. I had gone out the day before and I had probably drunk a little too much. My teammates noticed that I smelled of alcohol. Kobe Bryant then informed the rest of the team that I was going to have to defend against him and no one was allowed to come and help me.
At first, I laughed and thought it would be fun. Except that in Kobe’s eyes, it wasn’t the same. It could read: I see and feel the weakness in you. I will destroy you today”.
And the “Black Mamba” to execute by putting Luke Walton through an ordeal, like other teammates who had lacked professionalism or a good work ethic before him.
“He taught me a lesson. I believe he scored around 70 points in practice that day. I was calling the others asking for help but none of them came .His killer instinct and work ethic scarred me for life.”
The lesson paid off, as Luke Walton stayed with the Lakers until 2012 and convinced Kobe Bryant that he had an important place in the organization. Lasting so long on a roster with him shows that he had earned his respect over time. Others didn’t have that chance or that opportunity after Kobe had them in the thick of it…
Shaquille O’Neal was also part of the team during Luke Walton’s first seasons with the Lakers. The Big Cactus has also already taken him to task.
“Shaq did the trick to me one day too. He made me defend on him. So I started making mistakes. He told me if I kept doing that he was going to punch me in my head. So I quit. It was unfair. I felt like a kid who had to play against an adult.”
Walton and O’Neal did not win a title together, since in 2004 Shaq left to export his talents to South Beach, to win a ring there in 2006.
The day Kobe Bryant put Mike Gelabale through hell
