Kobe Bryant vs James Harden trash talked Kobe Bryant in the NBA, but obviously there’s more to it than that. #kobe #nba
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The NBA suspension really got Twitter watching Andre Miller highlights. (Ayoooo that ain’t it). The Weeknd’s album came out during this quarantine and got me empathizing with people I haven’t even met yet.
So to start, we’re going to go back to a random Drew League game in 2011. Except Kobe Bryant and James Harden pulled up. Players couldn’t access any of the team facilities so no practice or team trainers, but out of that, we saw Kevin Durant and LeBron go at it. It was a drought of NBA basketball. So in August 2011, Kobe’s coming off a platelet-rich plasma therapy procedure on his right knee and here he is in this gym facing off against Harden.
Kobe bumps Harden to the ground, pump fakes Durant and Ibaka, draws the foul. Harden was a little irritated which was an accumulation of all the physicality throughout the game. Harden makes a three after the rebound and starts talking to Kobe. Kobe gets the ball in the post and fades with Harden right on him. It doesn’t make the rim and Harden starts talking his trash. Kobe sorta just looks at him, Metta World Peace formlerly Ron Artest, gets in between. Harden wanted some payback which he was getting. Ibaka blocks Kobe after Kobe moves Harden out of the way and both of them start talking to each other again. Durant gets in there and starts talking back. It’s this weird light hearted slash serious look on their faces. It was this sort of look of nah you don’t mean that. Of course we won’t know what was said until one of them says it, but this went on for minutes. The Thunder end up winning, but this saga didn’t end up there. After the game, Kobe didn’t disclose what they were talking about, but said “Maybe one day they’ll be able to sit at my lunch table.”
Calling him one of his young boys seemed like Kobe had sorta of taken Harden under his wing, right? I mean Harden values skill a lot right, especially with Giannis.
Harden later said on the Dan Patrick show that Kobe called Harden too young to guard him, but Harden also said it’s all fun and games because they also have the same agent. Not sure how much of that is true, but it never felt like a real rivalry.
