Kobe Bryant gave a telling response after being challenged to a 1v1 match by then-NBA starlet Kyrie Irving.
Bryant is regarded as one of the greatest NBA players of all-time, winning five NBA Championships with the Los Angeles Lakers between 2000 and 2010.
He is the Lakers' all-time leading scorer and was selected to play in the NBA All-Star Game on 18 occasions - a number only bettered by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (19) and LeBron James (21).
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Bryant and his daughter, Gianna, were killed in a plane crash in January 2020. He would be posthumously inducted into the NBA 75 team to mark the 75th anniversary of America's top basketball league.
In 2012, while still an active NBA player, Bryant was approached by up-and-coming talent Irving at a Team USA camp.
Australian-born Irving, who turned 20 that year and would become one of the sport's top stars, asked the NBA legend for a 1v1 game in a clip that quickly went viral online.
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The following year, during an interview with ESPN, various names were put to Bryant as possible 1v1 opponents.
When Irving's name was mentioned, Bryant smiled and laughed before replying: "Kyrie's my boy, but he knows he doesn't have anything for me. He doesn't want to see me. But it would be fun. I've beaten a lot of guys one-on-one."
Irving told fellow NBA star Kevin Durant on his podcast, 'The ETCs', in 2020 that he rehearsed his lines before approaching Bryant.
"I'm like, Kobe, man, like I could beat you one-on-one," he began. "Honestly, we should get this one-on-one game. Honestly, I think you can't guard me.
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"I realise that Kobe also had an aura about him at this time that, if you were around him, he gravitated towards the real ones, you know? And he would have a conversation with the real people. And he would address you in a respectful manner, as long as you gave him that same respect and you showed no fear. You know what I mean?"
Topics: Kobe Bryant, NBA
Ryan Smart