Hawks players have plenty of memories of facing Kobe Bryant – and not all of them are good.
Such is the basketball life when going against one of the greatest player in NBA history.
Bryant is playing his 20th and final season in a sure Hall of Fame career. The Lakers guard was ruled out of Friday night’s game with right shoulder soreness in what would have been his final game against the Hawks.
“The most amazing play I ever saw him make was in the playoffs when I was with Utah,” Kyle Korver said. “Andrei Kirilenko was guarding him and went to double him. He spun through us, threw it off the backboard with his left hand and laid it back in. It’s the middle of a heated playoff game and he threw it off the backboard. We were running back down the court and he was nonchalant. I was like ‘That was a good move.’ He was like nothing. He was so confident in what he was doing. It was an amazing moment.”
Korver said he already had his goodbye moment with Bryant after having him sign a pair of his shoes when the Lakers were in Atlanta in December.
Kent Bazemore was briefly a teammate in Los Angeles. However Bryant was injured and they never played together. Bazemore related a story of when he was with the Warriors as a rookie and faced Bryant.
“We were up 11 with three minutes to go,” Bazemore said. “He drives to the basket and gets fouled but they don’t call it. The under-three minute timeout comes and he walks to the bench with that look on his face. He was (ticked off), like ‘We are going to win this.’ Next play he gets it on the left block and goes baseline for a reverse dunk. They ended up winning the game. It was one of the most impressive things I’ve ever seen. I was already a fan but that was amazing.”
Here are some other thoughts from Hawks players about Bryant:
* Paul Millsap: “They are not pleasant (memories). We always had to face them in the playoffs when I was in Utah. We never overcame that challenge. The things he’s accomplished, you have to respect what he’s done for this game. I looked up to him, tried to imitate some of his moves. He’s meant a lot to the game of basketball, period.”
* Tim Hardaway Jr.: “This is my third year in the NBA and he’s always been not dressed. I hope the third year is a charm. I’ve never had a chance to play against him. I’ve only had conversations with him here and there. I’ve never stepped on the same court as him. I’m hoping, really hoping, he plays today.”
* Al Horford: “He’s just such a competitor. I think that’s what you think of when you think of Kobe, a guy who competes and it was his well, a lot of the time, that put him over the top.”
* Kirk Hinrich: “I just have the ultimate respect for that guy – the competiveness, the way he approaches the game. It’s something I’ll tell the kids about that I got a chance to play against the guy.”
* Jeff Teague: “I remember my rookie year, him and Joe (Johnson) had a first-quarter battle. I think Joe had like 20 points in the first quarter and he had like 17. They were going back and forth. It was pretty exciting.”
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