Iman Shumpert’s Classic Story About Guarding Kobe Bryant
NBA swingman Iman ShumpertĀ was a guest on Hot 97 in New York City. During the show, he revealed an incredible Kobe Bryant story to host,Ā Peter Rosenberg.
During a Knicks vs Lakers game in Madison Square Garden,Ā Shumpert felt he had done a great job guarding Kobe and even had a steal and dunk against him. As he was already thinking which story to tell after the game, the 4th quarter started, and his entire story changed due to a Kobe Bryant warning:
āI guarded Kobe in the Garden. I canāt remember how much he had, but I know I had multiple steals against him, to where in the game, in my head, all Iām thinking of is when Iām having this conversation with my brother after the game, how Iām going to tell him how I stole a 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 Iām thinking about all these things in my head, Iām so geeked.
ā¦. The fourth quarter starts, and Kobe said āyou had a great game.ā He said āyou had a great game young fella.ā I swear I looked at the clock likeā¦. Iām looking like āthereās 12 minutes , what are you talking about?ā What was that, you know what Iām saying? You aināt said nothing the whole game. Iāve been talking , I done stole the ball, Iām hyped as hell, itās Kobe Bryant. He aināt said not one word to me. āGreat game young fella.ā
The man come down, you remember, he came shot fake, shot fake, threw it off the glass, caught it, threw it to the corner. Iām like ābro, what you on? Like, bro, you been regular all game!’ā
Transcript via FTW