WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA – FEBRUARY 26: Kobe Bryant arrives for the Premiere Of Showtime’s “Kobe Bryant’s Muse” – Arrivals at The London Hotel on February 26, 2015 in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images)
This resurfaced Kobe Bryant shows what the NBA world already knew. The late Lakers star guard really was as unflappable as they come.
Did Kobe Bryant ever flinch?
The late NBA Superstar and Academy Award winner was known for his focus. It was one of his unique qualities that made his “mamba mentality” so powerful. Even when he was away from the court, Bryant couldn’t be caught off guard. An old video resurfaced on Twitter, tweeted out by SportsCenter, serves as more evidence of his unflappability.
The video shows the Milwaukee Bucks inflatable mascot spooking members of the Los Angeles Lakers walking down a hallway. The inflatable would remain as still as a statue and jump out when a Laker would walk by. It seemed to have spooked the Lakers equipment manager, made a three-time NBA Defensive Player of Year in Dwight Howard laugh but when it came to Kobe, this antic sparked a “no-reaction.”
Kobe had his headsets on and continued to walk straight. When the mascot jumped in front of him, Kobe moved it aside as if he walked by a regular person who accidentally bumped into him.
This video appears to be from the NBA’s 2012-13 season when the Lakers played at Milwaukee for a regular-season game on March 28, 2013. That game Kobe dropped 30 points in a 113-103 loss.
However, that wasn’t the first time someone tried to make Kobe flinch. Before they became teammates, Matt Barnes tried to make Bryant flinch on March 7, 2010, during a Lakers vs Magic game. In a physical matchup between Barnes and Kobe, Barnes pump-faked the ball towards Bryant’s face before an inbound pass. Kobe did not flinch.
If Barnes couldn’t make Kobe flinch, an inflatable mascot sure wouldn’t make him flinch either. This is why he has to be one of the most unflappable people of all-time.
