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I will never forget that day
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because it's the day
after my birthday.
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Good morning, everybody.
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Here is a live look
over Long Beach
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and we love to observe
the weather from down here.
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We are looking at
a pretty gloomy morning
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across the Southland.
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Some of the effect from
this cold front moving through
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will be winds
picking up to 55 mph.
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This is in effect for
the mountain communities
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of Ventura
and Los Angeles County.
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Pretty breezy to
even gusty conditions
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into this afternoon.
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I was training kids...
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And my phone was blowing up.
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I could feel it in my pocket
but I wasn't answering it
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because I'm in
the middle of training.
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And I reached in my pocket
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and I'm thinking it's a
Sunday, what's going on?
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One of the other guys
who was training with us,
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his phone was on ringer.
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So it kept, like, going off.
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So I reached in and
I started getting text messages.
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I get a text from
one of my friends
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that lived in L.A.
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And they said did
you hear about Kobe?
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I'm like, nah,
what are you talking about?
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I don't know what that meant.
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Did I hear what about Kobe?
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One of the kids comes into
the gym and says, "Kobe's dead."
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He died and I'm like...
I'm like, what?
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My wife came over
and she said...
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"I don't believe it,
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but somebody said
Kobe Bryant just died."
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The buzz started going
around about Kobe Bryant.
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I was like,
I don't think that's real.
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I thought I thought
there was misinformation.
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And I said, "Whatever."
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Wind picking up
to 55 miles an hours.
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Pretty breezy to
even gusty conditions
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They said Kobe Bryant died
in a helicopter crash.
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That's when I knew.
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That's when I was like, "Okay."
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Because the people who knew Kobe
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knew he traveled around L.A.
in a helicopter.
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I just-- I stopped
everything I was doing
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and I just sat in the chair
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and I just couldn't move.
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The world shut down.
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The world was grieving.
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No, I cried for like
three days, four days.
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They just kept on showing it
on the on the news.
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It's a weird energy.
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We have grown men
crying in the streets.
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He wasn't just the Laker.
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He-- he represented us.
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He wasn't just a Laker.
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He was L.A.
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He was a hero, a role model.
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When I say all this,
to be honest with you,
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I feel nothing but love,
everyone.
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When I heard Kobe died I cried.
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I turned into that picture
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where he and I
are embracing each other
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and it just didn't seem real.
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And the way he died, it just...
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It's just--
it's just one of those things
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you would never forget.
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And you still keep
asking yourself, why?
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Was it avoidable?
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Why did we lose our prince
in such a tragic way?
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♪ See a million people cry ♪
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♪ Wipe them tears
off them eyes ♪
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♪ There will be a golden sky ♪
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-♪ Couple thugs passing by ♪
-♪ Kobe ♪
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♪ See a million people cry
at my funeral ♪
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♪ Nobody keep my spirit
alive at my funeral ♪
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♪ There will be a golden sky
at my funeral ♪
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♪ Couple thugs passing by
at my funeral ♪
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♪ See a million people cry
at my funeral ♪
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♪ Wipin' them tears off of
their eyes at my funeral ♪
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♪ There will be a golden sky
at my funeral ♪
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♪ Couple thugs passing by
at my funeral ♪
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♪ The whole world is watching
live at my funeral ♪
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♪ Nobody keep my spirit alive
at my funeral ♪
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♪ There will be a golden sky
at my funeral ♪
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♪ Couple thugs passing by
at my funeral ♪
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♪ Kobe ♪
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The first time
I heard of Kobe Bryant
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was about 1995, '96,
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Someone said you know,
there's a kid
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that's playing
high school ball
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in the Philadelphia area.
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And I thought, okay, whatever.
I mean, you know,
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they're these high school kids,
they're all great, you know.
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And he says no, no, no, Chuck,
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this guy is gonna be really,
really good.
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His name is Kobe Bryant.
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I said okay.
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He said, his dad played
in the NBA,
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Joe "Jellybean" Bryant
is Kobe Bryant's dad.
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I just think he was able to pass
on just great knowledge to him.
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It was something
that was transferred.
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He told me the whole story about
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him being overseas
playing basketball,
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watching his dad being in
the army, having to go from,
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you know, base to base
and stuff like that
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and it was just,
it was unique, man.
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He didn't want to be what
everybody else was,
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the typical player
that came into the NBA.
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Everybody has this same,
you know, like sob story
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coming from struggle type story
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they do come from poverty,
you know,
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mindset poverty situations where
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they want to get out
"the hood" per se.
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Well then another year passed
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and all of a sudden people
are talking about Kobe Bryant
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coming out straight
from high school to the pros.
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You know, he had
an opportunity to play with
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the best players in the world
at a very young age.
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But I thought, okay, are we
talking about a lottery player?
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We're talking about
a midrange first round pick
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and they said, no, Chuck,
this guy could be going
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high in the draft
and the rest is history,
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Well, him going straight
into the NBA from high school.
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I mean,
I would have the same thing
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if I was good enough to do it.
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Jerry West, then the
general manager of the Lakers
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brought him in for a workout
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00:09:04,102 --> 00:09:06,938
and as soon as
he saw Kobe Bryant
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go after players on the Lakers,
guys like Michael Cooper
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an established star
defensive talent in the N.B.A,
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Jerry West said,
I've seen enough.
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I gotta have Kobe Bryant.
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I have got to have Kobe Bryant.
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So now the agent
aren't telling us
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saying, okay, I got,
I got to get Kobe to the Lakers
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with the agent
and with Jerry West,
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Kobe Bryant's a Laker.
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The Lakers organization
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is just so traditional.
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They've been there
from the beginning, man,
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and they just had so many
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huge memories
within the N.B.A.
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We're number one.
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Purple and gold is...
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it is a representation of
something that's bigger
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than the city of L.A.
as a culture.
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It also represents the N.B.A.
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Like when people think N.B.A,
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first two teams
that come to mind:
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Lakers, Celtics, period.
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But funny enough, man,
when I got to L.A, I--
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I really didn't know...
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it sounds stupid, but I really
didn't know that, like,
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the Lakers were that big--
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that big of
a team because
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I've never been to
the West Coast before, man.
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It was just an unbelievable
experience for me, man,
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just going out there,
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The caliber of organization
and then what that embodies,
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Lakers is about
championships, right?
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They're not thinking about
regular season,
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they're not thinking
about nothing else
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until April to June
that's it.
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I was so interested
in having a high school kid
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go straight to the pros.
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I mean,
Kevin Garnett had done it
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and other players, of course,
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preceded Kobe Bryant
from high school.
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Some successful,
some not, it's a tough jump.
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We're talking about
a young person, 18 years young,
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and they may have
all the athletic skills,
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but their playing against men,
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men that have
had college experience,
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a number of years in the N.B.A,
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that are physically big.
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Yeah. As a player
I did play against Kobe.
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I remember his rookie year.
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Uh, he was actually guarding me
and I wasn't a marquee player
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So I guess the coach
put him on me and,
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you know,
right out of high school
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and he was long, lanky and thin
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and we actually called a play,
called a turn four back to back
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and I posted him up
and I scored on him.
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But this is the thing,
I remember...
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he was playing
his defense so hard
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and I remember after
I scored the second basket,
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I kind of turned
and said to him,
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"Young fella,
you're gonna be just fine.
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Like, I'm supposed to score
on you, I'm a grown man.
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You're 19, you're 18,
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I'm supposed to score,
I outweigh you by 50 pounds.
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But he was trying so hard
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and he actually had a plan and
knew what he was trying to do
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and knew what
he was trying to accomplish.
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You knew after him--
watching him play
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00:12:30,141 --> 00:12:32,610
and play against him
his rookie year,
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you knew he was gonna be good.
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And you can tell
because he had that...
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I don't know if I can say this,
if I could use profanity,
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00:12:41,486 --> 00:12:44,155
but he had
that fuck you attitude
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and the great ones do.
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They would take him out
the game, say something to him.
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But when they put him back in
the game, he would try it again.
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And that's the thing I love when
he tried something in the game
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and it didn't work,
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the next day at practice
he was working on it.
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00:13:00,505 --> 00:13:03,842
And, see, as a coach, that's
when you know you got something.
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00:13:12,517 --> 00:13:14,352
Well, you can't do anything
to change the cards,
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00:13:14,519 --> 00:13:16,320
but you got to
play your hand right, right?
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00:13:20,859 --> 00:13:23,995
Phil Jackson was
a Hall of Fame coach
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00:13:24,028 --> 00:13:26,998
even before he received
the Lakers offer.
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00:13:27,031 --> 00:13:28,867
What he did with the Bulls,
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00:13:29,033 --> 00:13:31,536
with Michael Jordan
speaks for itself.
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00:13:32,871 --> 00:13:35,874
I grew up watching the great
Chicago Bulls win championships.
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00:13:36,040 --> 00:13:37,709
And who was the coach
of those teams?
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00:13:37,876 --> 00:13:39,343
Phil Jackson.
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00:13:39,377 --> 00:13:41,179
And Phil Jackson
knew how to coach,
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00:13:41,212 --> 00:13:43,381
he knew how to coach superstars.
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00:13:43,514 --> 00:13:45,550
He knew how to coach
average players,
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00:13:45,717 --> 00:13:47,385
and he knew
how to coach rookies.
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00:13:47,552 --> 00:13:49,053
When I learned from Phil was
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00:13:49,220 --> 00:13:52,390
how to handle
different personalities,
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00:13:52,557 --> 00:13:54,392
How he handled
different personalities,
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00:13:54,525 --> 00:13:56,527
I got to see that every day.
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00:13:57,395 --> 00:13:59,063
At the end
of the day it's about
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00:13:59,230 --> 00:14:01,399
can you get a group
of young men,
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00:14:01,566 --> 00:14:03,367
get them all on the same page,
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00:14:03,401 --> 00:14:06,738
get them all single-minded
to achieve one goal.
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00:14:07,538 --> 00:14:10,575
All coaches gravitate to
players that want to be great,
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00:14:10,742 --> 00:14:12,043
that work hard,
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00:14:12,076 --> 00:14:13,912
See, when you get to the gym
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00:14:14,078 --> 00:14:16,247
and the player's in the gym,
already sweating,
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00:14:16,414 --> 00:14:18,082
when you get there at
seven o'clock in the morning,
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00:14:18,249 --> 00:14:19,718
you know you got something.
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00:14:21,920 --> 00:14:24,255
Everybody say
they want to be successful.
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00:14:24,388 --> 00:14:26,057
No, they don't, everybody
don't want to be successful.
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00:14:26,090 --> 00:14:27,258
What do you mean?
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00:14:27,759 --> 00:14:31,429
Are you getting up early,
putting extra work in?
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00:14:31,596 --> 00:14:34,432
What are you doing to be
successful other than this...
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00:14:34,599 --> 00:14:36,567
Flapping your gums, talking.
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00:14:36,601 --> 00:14:38,436
Every year you ask players,
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00:14:38,603 --> 00:14:40,772
who want to win the
championship, raise your hand.
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00:14:40,906 --> 00:14:42,607
Everybody do this.
Then you start saying,
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00:14:42,774 --> 00:14:45,276
What sacrifices
are you willing to make?
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00:14:46,912 --> 00:14:49,580
This guy is literally working
while people are sleeping
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00:14:49,614 --> 00:14:52,617
like-- like, does he sleep
like, is he a vampire?
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00:14:52,784 --> 00:14:54,786
Is he-- is he mixed
with something else?
250
00:14:54,920 --> 00:14:56,788
Is he hybrid? Like, what's
going on with this guy?
251
00:14:56,955 --> 00:14:58,757
Like, this is Kobe, like,
252
00:14:58,790 --> 00:15:03,795
all these crazy stories
that talk about his work ethic.
253
00:15:05,463 --> 00:15:08,132
I got the chance to experience
that for two years.
254
00:15:12,638 --> 00:15:16,307
I showed up to the training
facility at 6:30 AM to get rehab
255
00:15:16,474 --> 00:15:21,479
and Kobe Bryant
was in the gym by himself
256
00:15:21,647 --> 00:15:23,114
shooting in the dark.
257
00:15:23,982 --> 00:15:25,651
So he's like,
"Meet me in the gym."
258
00:15:25,817 --> 00:15:27,653
I'm like, "What time?"
He was like, "Five o'clock."
259
00:15:27,786 --> 00:15:30,956
Something like--
All right, cool.
260
00:15:30,989 --> 00:15:32,824
Every time I saw Kobe
it was either leaving
261
00:15:32,991 --> 00:15:34,660
or coming from a gym
262
00:15:34,826 --> 00:15:36,828
or we were going to
a restaurant, one of the two,
263
00:15:36,995 --> 00:15:38,162
and if we were
leaving a restaurant,
264
00:15:38,329 --> 00:15:39,831
he was going right
back to the gym.
265
00:15:39,998 --> 00:15:41,667
That's just
what it was with Kobe.
266
00:15:46,004 --> 00:15:49,507
I think Kobe was great about
getting his teammates
267
00:15:49,675 --> 00:15:51,175
to be better.
268
00:15:53,879 --> 00:15:56,514
Already had a work ethic,
but his work ethic
269
00:15:56,682 --> 00:16:01,019
was astronomical compared to
anybody's that I've ever seen.
270
00:16:03,187 --> 00:16:06,024
I wanted to be around him
as much as I could.
271
00:16:15,033 --> 00:16:18,536
I have the greatest respect for
people that make the sacrifice.
272
00:16:18,704 --> 00:16:20,538
People don't understand
the time it takes
273
00:16:20,706 --> 00:16:22,874
to just be a good NBA player.
274
00:16:23,041 --> 00:16:24,710
What do you think
it takes to be great?
275
00:16:24,876 --> 00:16:27,045
See, people, he got talent,
276
00:16:27,244 --> 00:16:29,213
everybody in the NBA got talent.
277
00:16:29,380 --> 00:16:32,216
Kobe didn't jump higher
than everybody in the N.B.A.
278
00:16:32,383 --> 00:16:34,886
Kobe wasn't the greatest,
best shooter in NBA.
279
00:16:35,020 --> 00:16:36,722
He wasn't the best ball handler.
280
00:16:36,855 --> 00:16:38,890
He wasn't,
but because of the work,
281
00:16:39,057 --> 00:16:40,391
but I'll tell you what he was,
282
00:16:40,558 --> 00:16:42,226
he was probably
the greatest worker.
283
00:17:01,579 --> 00:17:03,547
I wanted to be
a sports commentator
284
00:17:03,581 --> 00:17:05,917
since I was five years young.
285
00:17:11,589 --> 00:17:13,759
My favorite sport
was basketball.
286
00:17:15,426 --> 00:17:16,762
I love the game.
287
00:17:18,262 --> 00:17:22,266
I love the fact that chemistry
is so important in the sport
288
00:17:24,770 --> 00:17:27,271
On the floor,
you've got five players
289
00:17:27,438 --> 00:17:29,941
and they not only have
to pass the ball
290
00:17:30,108 --> 00:17:34,311
and be unselfish, they have to
move without the basketball
291
00:17:34,445 --> 00:17:36,447
and it's a thing of beauty.
292
00:17:41,953 --> 00:17:46,758
Right now as I'm delivering
this message to you,
293
00:17:46,792 --> 00:17:51,295
I'm seeing Kobe Bryant with the
Lakers with Shaquille O'Neal.
294
00:17:54,800 --> 00:17:58,970
It was beautiful basketball
to see the two of them
295
00:17:59,137 --> 00:18:03,975
destroy opponents
in sync together...
296
00:18:07,979 --> 00:18:10,982
checking their egos at the door
297
00:18:11,149 --> 00:18:15,987
and making sure their team
rose to the occasion
298
00:18:16,154 --> 00:18:18,657
and won a basketball game.
299
00:18:22,493 --> 00:18:25,163
That's the beauty and
the essence of the sport
300
00:18:25,329 --> 00:18:27,666
where you can play for the team
301
00:18:27,833 --> 00:18:31,169
and the name
on your chest, Lakers,
302
00:18:31,335 --> 00:18:33,638
instead of the back
of the jersey
303
00:18:33,672 --> 00:18:35,006
with your individual name.
304
00:18:35,173 --> 00:18:37,341
And that's what
Kobe and Shaq did.
305
00:18:43,514 --> 00:18:45,150
When they won
those championships
306
00:18:45,183 --> 00:18:46,651
back to back to back,
307
00:18:46,685 --> 00:18:48,519
I'm thinking,
okay, this is rigged,
308
00:18:48,687 --> 00:18:51,022
you know, this is--
something's going on here.
309
00:18:51,156 --> 00:18:52,858
And the only thing that
I can compare it to
310
00:18:52,991 --> 00:18:54,358
is back when
Michael Jordan played
311
00:18:54,525 --> 00:18:56,360
when they won their first three
312
00:18:56,527 --> 00:18:59,831
and then Mike took off
and then they came back
313
00:18:59,865 --> 00:19:01,867
and then
they won the second three.
314
00:19:02,033 --> 00:19:05,003
So I'm thinking, okay,
something's with this--
315
00:19:05,036 --> 00:19:06,872
with this type of player,
316
00:19:07,005 --> 00:19:09,708
comparing him
to Michael Jordan back then.
317
00:19:09,841 --> 00:19:12,543
Well, I felt very fortunate
that in a short amount of time
318
00:19:12,677 --> 00:19:14,045
I went from...
319
00:19:14,212 --> 00:19:17,215
a little snotty nose kid
from North Carolina
320
00:19:17,381 --> 00:19:20,685
to a role model
and to a lot of people.
321
00:19:22,187 --> 00:19:25,724
Who was Kobe following? Um...
322
00:19:27,225 --> 00:19:29,895
Who did he have as a role model?
323
00:19:32,731 --> 00:19:36,234
Which player was Kobe
most influenced by?
324
00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:37,702
Michael Jordan.
325
00:19:38,569 --> 00:19:40,238
This is what was funny,
326
00:19:40,371 --> 00:19:43,742
I remember about his 3rd,
4th year in the league.
327
00:19:43,875 --> 00:19:48,713
The joke was in the locker rooms
Kobe walked by,
328
00:19:48,747 --> 00:19:51,415
look at him, he want to be
like Michael Jordan.
329
00:19:51,582 --> 00:19:53,919
Look at him,
he talked like Michael Jordan.
330
00:19:54,052 --> 00:19:56,587
Look at him, he stick his tongue
out like Michael Jordan.
331
00:19:56,755 --> 00:19:59,590
And I'll never forget this.
I'm in the locker room one day,
332
00:19:59,758 --> 00:20:01,425
Some of the guys
in the locker room
333
00:20:01,592 --> 00:20:03,594
hating on Kobe,
he wanna be like Mike.
334
00:20:03,762 --> 00:20:06,765
I stopped him.
I turned the tv on mute,
335
00:20:06,932 --> 00:20:08,266
And this is what I said,
336
00:20:08,432 --> 00:20:10,601
and I hope I can say this
and excuse me,
337
00:20:10,769 --> 00:20:13,271
I want to apologize in
advance but it pisses me off.
338
00:20:13,437 --> 00:20:15,106
Show you how people think.
339
00:20:15,273 --> 00:20:18,076
I said, you guys are
a bunch of stupid motherfuckers
340
00:20:18,109 --> 00:20:20,278
And they said, "Why?"
341
00:20:20,477 --> 00:20:25,283
Y'all are sitting in the room
laughing at a player
342
00:20:25,449 --> 00:20:28,954
who wants to be like
Michael Jordan.
343
00:20:29,120 --> 00:20:30,454
Let that sink in.
344
00:20:31,790 --> 00:20:33,624
Y'all are laughing now.
345
00:20:33,792 --> 00:20:36,962
It's not that he's--
just wants to be like him,
346
00:20:37,128 --> 00:20:41,132
he's working his ass off
in the gym.
347
00:20:41,299 --> 00:20:45,637
While you're laughing,
he's in the gym,
348
00:20:45,804 --> 00:20:49,607
trying to be as good,
if not better,
349
00:20:49,641 --> 00:20:53,311
than the guy that we think is
the greatest, Michael Jordan.
350
00:20:53,477 --> 00:20:56,147
And you idiots are laughing.
351
00:20:56,314 --> 00:20:58,316
What you should be doing
352
00:20:58,482 --> 00:21:02,153
is picking somebody like him,
who's great,
353
00:21:02,320 --> 00:21:04,990
and getting your ass
out this locker room
354
00:21:05,156 --> 00:21:08,960
and get in the gym
and start working on your game
355
00:21:08,994 --> 00:21:12,163
and start mimicking that guy.
356
00:21:12,330 --> 00:21:15,333
Who's stupid, the guy
that's trying to be like the--
357
00:21:15,499 --> 00:21:18,336
the guy that's trying
to be like the greatest?
358
00:21:18,469 --> 00:21:23,008
Or the guys that sit around here
too afraid to try to be great?
359
00:21:23,842 --> 00:21:26,477
If I had to pick what player
right now represents the future
360
00:21:26,510 --> 00:21:28,213
it would have to be Kobe Bryant
361
00:21:28,380 --> 00:21:30,348
with the way that he plays
the game of basketball.
362
00:21:30,481 --> 00:21:33,018
I have high regards in terms of
how he focused on the game.
363
00:21:33,184 --> 00:21:34,986
He works on
his basketball skills.
364
00:21:35,020 --> 00:21:37,188
Each and every year
he gets better.
365
00:21:44,195 --> 00:21:48,366
I think Michael Jordan
passed off the torch to Kobe.
366
00:21:48,532 --> 00:21:53,204
He handed him the keys
and said, "Hey...
367
00:21:53,371 --> 00:21:55,707
This is your NBA now.
368
00:21:55,874 --> 00:21:58,542
Do with it what I did
and go further."
369
00:22:49,260 --> 00:22:52,897
It was a Sunday night,
we're in Los Angeles.
370
00:22:52,931 --> 00:22:55,934
Just another
great day to be in L.A.
371
00:22:56,101 --> 00:22:58,069
Downtown Los Angeles, you're
looking at the basketball...
372
00:22:58,103 --> 00:23:00,271
I remember
that Laker ball club
373
00:23:00,405 --> 00:23:04,109
average, maybe a little
above average, not much...
374
00:23:04,776 --> 00:23:07,645
Kobe Bryant was playing
with guys like Lamar Odom,
375
00:23:07,812 --> 00:23:11,750
Kwame Brown, Smush Parker,
Chris Mihm.
376
00:23:11,783 --> 00:23:13,785
So you could tell
that if the Lakers
377
00:23:13,952 --> 00:23:16,955
were gonna win a ballgame,
they relied on Kobe Bryant.
378
00:23:19,791 --> 00:23:22,293
I just remember...
379
00:23:22,460 --> 00:23:25,096
Phil was, he just kept saying,
we have to win this game,
380
00:23:25,130 --> 00:23:26,798
we have to win this game.
381
00:23:27,132 --> 00:23:29,300
So you know,
everybody's kind of doing
382
00:23:29,467 --> 00:23:30,635
what they do before the games.
383
00:23:30,802 --> 00:23:32,470
You know,
some people eating fruit
384
00:23:32,637 --> 00:23:34,973
and some people on their phones
trying to figure out
385
00:23:35,106 --> 00:23:37,308
tickets for their family
and stuff like that.
386
00:23:39,644 --> 00:23:42,313
I just remember Kobe
was sitting in his locker,
387
00:23:44,315 --> 00:23:47,485
quiet, just sitting there
the whole time quiet,
388
00:23:47,652 --> 00:23:49,821
I'm like, hm...
389
00:23:49,988 --> 00:23:52,157
I'm just watching, you know,
I'm a rookie. I'm like...
390
00:23:52,323 --> 00:23:53,658
kind of watching
everything that he's doing
391
00:23:53,825 --> 00:23:55,493
to get prepared for the game.
392
00:23:57,829 --> 00:24:00,665
You know, Phil
comes in a lot of times.
393
00:24:00,832 --> 00:24:03,668
We watched like, um,
film before the game
394
00:24:03,835 --> 00:24:07,338
just to go over like some of
their sets and stuff like that.
395
00:24:07,505 --> 00:24:10,341
And he's quiet,
not saying nothing.
396
00:24:11,342 --> 00:24:12,677
He's just sitting there
and then he just
397
00:24:12,844 --> 00:24:14,479
comes in the middle
and is like...
398
00:24:15,847 --> 00:24:17,682
let's go,
you know what I mean?
399
00:24:17,849 --> 00:24:20,018
So we break off,
we run out the tunnel.
400
00:24:29,360 --> 00:24:31,696
Going into the Staples Arena,
401
00:24:31,863 --> 00:24:34,032
it's kind of a surreal
kind of atmosphere.
402
00:24:34,199 --> 00:24:36,868
You know, they black out
all the seats around
403
00:24:37,035 --> 00:24:40,205
and then the only thing lit up
in the court is the court.
404
00:24:42,373 --> 00:24:45,043
So going into that game,
405
00:24:45,210 --> 00:24:46,878
you know Kobe is going to do
something special.
406
00:24:47,045 --> 00:24:50,048
You know, he's gonna score
a lot of points, but...
407
00:24:50,715 --> 00:24:52,884
you don't know exactly
how many points
408
00:24:53,051 --> 00:24:54,385
or what he's gonna do.
409
00:24:54,519 --> 00:24:57,522
And the buzz
is going around the NBA,
410
00:24:57,555 --> 00:24:59,224
Kobe's on a tear.
411
00:25:00,058 --> 00:25:02,227
That's what, that's all
you hear, Kobe's on a tear.
412
00:25:02,393 --> 00:25:04,729
He's scoring 45,
he's scoring 50.
413
00:25:04,896 --> 00:25:07,065
So, you know
coming into that game,
414
00:25:07,232 --> 00:25:09,234
something's going to happen.
415
00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:10,735
And there's Sam Mitchell,
416
00:25:10,902 --> 00:25:12,737
the head coach of the Raptors.
417
00:25:12,904 --> 00:25:15,039
When you're playing against
a great player and a great team,
418
00:25:15,073 --> 00:25:16,908
like Kobe Bryant and Lakers...
419
00:25:18,743 --> 00:25:21,412
you don't have to get your teams
necessarily ready to play.
420
00:25:21,546 --> 00:25:22,580
They're gonna be ready.
421
00:25:24,082 --> 00:25:27,252
Look, when we played against
good teams and great players,
422
00:25:27,418 --> 00:25:29,921
I never--
I slept like a baby. Why?
423
00:25:30,088 --> 00:25:32,090
I knew our players were gonna
be ready to play
424
00:25:32,257 --> 00:25:34,425
'cause if they wasn't
we were gonna get beat
425
00:25:34,592 --> 00:25:35,760
we were gonna get embarrassed.
426
00:25:37,262 --> 00:25:38,930
You think our players go relax
427
00:25:39,063 --> 00:25:40,765
the night before
playing Kobe Bryant
428
00:25:40,932 --> 00:25:42,600
and the Lake-- and the Lakers?
429
00:25:44,602 --> 00:25:46,104
What do you do?
430
00:25:46,271 --> 00:25:49,908
How do we get Kobe
to not score 40 points?
431
00:25:51,109 --> 00:25:54,612
It's almost impossible
but it's doable.
432
00:25:55,146 --> 00:25:56,781
We were winning the game.
433
00:25:56,915 --> 00:25:58,783
That's the thing
that people don't understand.
434
00:25:58,950 --> 00:26:01,119
We had never beat
the Lakers in L.A.
435
00:26:01,286 --> 00:26:03,288
I mean we were winning the game,
436
00:26:03,454 --> 00:26:06,124
we were winning the game
the majority of the game.
437
00:26:09,460 --> 00:26:11,963
So we are ready
to rock and roll here,
438
00:26:12,130 --> 00:26:14,966
at the Staples
with Raptors and the Lakers.
439
00:26:15,133 --> 00:26:19,470
Lakers won in Toronto
on December the 7th, 102-91,
440
00:26:21,472 --> 00:26:23,975
Wide open and a three is good.
441
00:26:24,108 --> 00:26:26,978
Oh, Peterson
Matt Bonner comes up
442
00:26:27,145 --> 00:26:28,980
and scores for the Raptors
443
00:26:29,147 --> 00:26:32,651
and another three,
Mike James, and for the...
444
00:26:32,817 --> 00:26:36,988
ice play by Charlie VillanuevaN
and the Raptors now six...
445
00:26:41,159 --> 00:26:43,662
And the team that I was
coaching, we wasn't very good.
446
00:26:43,828 --> 00:26:45,330
I think we won, like,
29 games that year.
447
00:26:45,496 --> 00:26:46,998
We wasn't that good
448
00:26:47,165 --> 00:26:49,834
and we had a chance
to beat the Lakers in L.A.
449
00:26:51,502 --> 00:26:53,338
Man, we were playing
like shit, man.
450
00:26:53,504 --> 00:26:57,842
It was crazy, like,
we played terrible that game.
451
00:27:02,547 --> 00:27:04,683
I'm looking and I'm like,
okay, that's an open shot.
452
00:27:04,849 --> 00:27:06,685
You gotta make that.
453
00:27:06,851 --> 00:27:09,354
Smush Parker
with a questionable shot.
454
00:27:09,520 --> 00:27:11,356
Oh, we missed again.
455
00:27:11,823 --> 00:27:13,858
Oh, gosh what
are you doing, Smush?
456
00:27:16,527 --> 00:27:20,164
I almost forgot
we were up, like, by 20,
457
00:27:20,198 --> 00:27:22,668
We were killing
the Lakers in L.A.
458
00:27:23,201 --> 00:27:26,037
And he was the only one
doing anything.
459
00:27:26,204 --> 00:27:28,206
Kobe Bryant
weaving inside,
460
00:27:28,373 --> 00:27:32,210
working on Jalen Rose.
461
00:27:33,378 --> 00:27:37,181
He has 14 in the quarter,
but his team trails.
462
00:27:37,548 --> 00:27:40,551
Solid job by the Raptors
on the road here
463
00:27:40,719 --> 00:27:43,722
at the Staples Center, 36-29.
464
00:27:51,229 --> 00:27:52,731
Think about this,
465
00:27:52,897 --> 00:27:55,400
every night,
Kobe Bryant got your best
466
00:27:55,566 --> 00:27:57,235
the other team's best.
467
00:27:57,368 --> 00:28:00,071
Every night, when you're
playing against Kobe,
468
00:28:00,204 --> 00:28:03,908
you know, if you don't bring
your best, he can get 81.
469
00:28:04,075 --> 00:28:06,911
Every night you play
470
00:28:07,078 --> 00:28:08,747
somebody trying
to kick your butt
471
00:28:08,946 --> 00:28:10,716
because you're Kobe Bryant.
472
00:28:10,749 --> 00:28:15,754
So you gotta bring your A-game,
mentally, and physically.
473
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,257
That's why we respect and love
474
00:28:19,424 --> 00:28:23,261
and appreciate
those guys so much.
475
00:28:23,428 --> 00:28:25,096
You know how hard it is,
476
00:28:25,263 --> 00:28:27,598
somebody coming at
you with their best?
477
00:28:30,268 --> 00:28:33,104
Every night.
They went to bed early,
478
00:28:33,237 --> 00:28:35,440
they ate right,
they got their rest,
479
00:28:35,606 --> 00:28:36,775
they went over their notes,
480
00:28:36,941 --> 00:28:38,609
they got their self ready.
481
00:28:38,777 --> 00:28:40,278
What would you do
if you were preparing
482
00:28:40,445 --> 00:28:41,612
to play against Kobe Bryant?
483
00:28:41,780 --> 00:28:43,614
I would give everything.
484
00:28:43,749 --> 00:28:45,450
Thank you.
So he got that every--
485
00:28:45,616 --> 00:28:48,787
now think about this,
82 nights in the playoffs.
486
00:28:48,953 --> 00:28:50,455
That's what he got every night.
487
00:28:50,621 --> 00:28:53,458
That's why he had to have
that mamba mentality.
488
00:28:53,624 --> 00:28:57,128
He had to take
his mind to a place
489
00:28:57,295 --> 00:28:58,963
that no one else could go
490
00:28:59,130 --> 00:29:01,299
because every night
you took your mind--
491
00:29:01,466 --> 00:29:03,468
every night when I played
against a great player,
492
00:29:03,601 --> 00:29:06,638
I took my mind to a place
that I could very rarely go
493
00:29:06,805 --> 00:29:09,307
because you got my best
every night,
494
00:29:09,474 --> 00:29:10,975
every time
I play against a great guy.
495
00:29:26,157 --> 00:29:27,625
Bryant has not seen action
496
00:29:27,659 --> 00:29:30,161
here in the second quarter.
497
00:29:39,337 --> 00:29:41,506
You know, he's always
gonna be in kill mode.
498
00:29:42,507 --> 00:29:44,509
But you can tell sometimes
499
00:29:44,676 --> 00:29:47,679
that he has a different switch
because it's personal.
500
00:29:51,850 --> 00:29:55,987
It's like he loved challenges
that will make him rise above.
501
00:29:56,020 --> 00:29:58,356
Like he gonna rise to
the occasion every time.
502
00:30:00,692 --> 00:30:04,529
I mean he's a pretty serious,
like for the most part,
503
00:30:04,663 --> 00:30:06,197
like when
he's locked in for games
504
00:30:06,330 --> 00:30:07,699
like doing what he does,
505
00:30:07,866 --> 00:30:10,669
but when he goes
and just stops talking
506
00:30:10,702 --> 00:30:13,538
it's like, all right,
he's on something else tonight.
507
00:30:13,705 --> 00:30:16,340
So that that would be like how
you know he's gonna go
508
00:30:16,374 --> 00:30:18,710
and do something crazy
and be on another level.
509
00:30:19,510 --> 00:30:22,079
So anybody that challenges
Kobe, he loved it.
510
00:30:22,748 --> 00:30:25,049
He loved people
that don't back down to him.
511
00:30:41,232 --> 00:30:42,901
We have a time out
512
00:30:43,067 --> 00:30:46,738
for the Lakers,
44-32, Raptors on the road.
513
00:30:50,575 --> 00:30:53,077
So I'm on the bench,
I'm watching the game.
514
00:30:54,412 --> 00:30:56,748
He comes out,
he hits the three.
515
00:31:00,084 --> 00:31:02,754
Pow! Crowd goes crazy.
516
00:31:05,256 --> 00:31:08,426
Everybody
get in he drops the three.
517
00:31:08,593 --> 00:31:10,929
How about that? Kobe Bryant,
back into the game.
518
00:31:13,264 --> 00:31:16,434
Played a whopping
nine minutes during that game.
519
00:31:20,271 --> 00:31:22,941
During those nine minutes it
just felt like I was running...
520
00:31:23,074 --> 00:31:25,610
back and forth, back and forth.
521
00:31:26,444 --> 00:31:29,146
We're running past each other
on defense and offense
522
00:31:29,313 --> 00:31:32,751
and I said, "Go ahead.
Do you boy," just like that.
523
00:31:35,119 --> 00:31:39,123
Kobe didn't have the greatest
three point percentage
524
00:31:39,257 --> 00:31:41,292
and that wasn't
the greatest part of his game.
525
00:31:41,425 --> 00:31:44,462
But we knew that if he came out
526
00:31:44,630 --> 00:31:46,932
and he was hitting threes
in the beginning,
527
00:31:46,965 --> 00:31:49,968
it is gonna be
hard to guard him
528
00:31:50,134 --> 00:31:52,804
because you got to guard him
from so far out, right?
529
00:32:06,785 --> 00:32:09,320
And the Raptors
go into the locker room
530
00:32:09,487 --> 00:32:12,156
leading 63-49 at the break,
531
00:32:12,290 --> 00:32:15,994
shooting, uh, towards 62%
532
00:32:16,160 --> 00:32:18,797
and a chorus of boos
coming from the Laker crowd
533
00:32:18,830 --> 00:32:22,000
here, Chuck,
as both teams exit the floor.
534
00:32:23,334 --> 00:32:25,671
We're losing,
'til we get to halftime.
535
00:32:28,006 --> 00:32:32,143
So we get to halftime,
you know, we come in, and...
536
00:32:32,176 --> 00:32:36,347
once again, he's sitting there
in the locker, quiet,
537
00:32:51,362 --> 00:32:53,197
This is privy
information,
538
00:32:54,700 --> 00:32:56,034
nobody knows this.
539
00:32:58,536 --> 00:33:01,039
So Phil Jackson has
two sets of offenses.
540
00:33:01,873 --> 00:33:04,876
Okay, so we run a certain
offense in the first half
541
00:33:05,043 --> 00:33:06,878
that we don't run
in the second half.
542
00:33:10,381 --> 00:33:12,884
If the offense is getting to
you know get Kobe the ball.
543
00:33:13,051 --> 00:33:17,889
So Mamba was always mobbed
in the second half of any game.
544
00:33:27,231 --> 00:33:31,402
Quiet locker room,
halftime, Phil comes in.
545
00:33:32,070 --> 00:33:34,740
You know, once again
we're breaking down film.
546
00:33:34,906 --> 00:33:36,574
He's yelling at everybody.
547
00:33:36,742 --> 00:33:39,077
"Guys, we gotta win this game,
we gotta win this game."
548
00:33:39,243 --> 00:33:41,412
And he was kind of loud, that--
549
00:33:41,579 --> 00:33:43,247
during that-- during that time.
550
00:33:44,248 --> 00:33:45,583
We're still down.
551
00:33:45,751 --> 00:33:46,752
So it's like...
552
00:33:48,086 --> 00:33:49,553
what are we gonna do?
553
00:33:49,587 --> 00:33:52,590
How are we gonna
dig ourselves out of this?
554
00:33:53,591 --> 00:33:57,428
They come back out,
like I said, quiet...
555
00:34:01,399 --> 00:34:03,769
Didn't say one word
the whole time.
556
00:34:03,935 --> 00:34:05,436
We come back out...
557
00:34:07,105 --> 00:34:08,406
Third quarter.
558
00:34:09,407 --> 00:34:12,610
Never seen nothing
like this in my-- in my life.
559
00:34:21,953 --> 00:34:24,790
He goes bananas,
560
00:34:26,457 --> 00:34:28,960
We were leading,
you know, we were up
561
00:34:29,127 --> 00:34:31,462
and then next thing
you know, something happened.
562
00:34:31,630 --> 00:34:33,464
A switch happened.
563
00:34:33,632 --> 00:34:35,634
Like, a switch in his head
564
00:34:37,969 --> 00:34:39,303
and somebody probably
ticked him off
565
00:34:39,470 --> 00:34:41,139
and said something to him
or something.
566
00:34:42,140 --> 00:34:44,308
And I'm thinking,
I don't think there was anything
567
00:34:44,442 --> 00:34:46,978
that we did or said
that triggered him.
568
00:34:47,145 --> 00:34:48,647
I have no clue.
569
00:34:48,814 --> 00:34:52,117
But next thing you know,
Kobe just unleashes
570
00:34:52,150 --> 00:34:54,452
the terror on us, and it was...
571
00:34:54,485 --> 00:34:55,821
it was a sight to see.
572
00:34:55,987 --> 00:34:59,157
It was impressive,
to say the least
573
00:35:00,491 --> 00:35:03,494
Kobe Bryant now at 32.
574
00:35:06,998 --> 00:35:08,499
And the opportunity is there.
575
00:35:08,667 --> 00:35:12,503
Kobe again for three.
71-55, Raptors.
576
00:35:14,005 --> 00:35:17,341
So he comes out,
hit the three, boom,
577
00:35:17,475 --> 00:35:19,177
comes back down another time.
578
00:35:19,343 --> 00:35:20,511
Another three.
579
00:35:21,847 --> 00:35:23,014
Boom, right?
580
00:35:23,181 --> 00:35:25,183
So we're like, oh, my God,
581
00:35:25,349 --> 00:35:27,351
we were like bumping
each other, like.
582
00:35:30,188 --> 00:35:32,858
Everybody's yelling
from the bench,
583
00:35:33,024 --> 00:35:34,860
"Give it to B, give it to B,"
584
00:35:35,026 --> 00:35:36,862
You know, we called him "B"
like, you know.
585
00:35:36,995 --> 00:35:38,529
"Give it to B," like--
586
00:35:38,697 --> 00:35:40,364
So dudes just literally,
just coming down
587
00:35:40,498 --> 00:35:42,033
like just passing to him,
588
00:35:42,200 --> 00:35:44,368
He going like one on four,
one on five.
589
00:35:44,535 --> 00:35:47,538
I'm like,
this is crazy man, like.
590
00:35:47,706 --> 00:35:49,040
You couldn't do anything.
591
00:35:49,708 --> 00:35:51,710
As hard as you tried,
you couldn't do anything.
592
00:35:55,881 --> 00:35:58,216
You got Bryant
with a pull up three.
593
00:35:58,382 --> 00:36:00,886
You got to be kidding me.
He has 41
594
00:36:01,552 --> 00:36:04,222
A good time out here
by Sam Mitchell, Chuck.
595
00:36:04,388 --> 00:36:07,893
You do not want to get
this crowd back into the game.
596
00:36:08,392 --> 00:36:11,062
75-65, Raptors.
597
00:36:11,229 --> 00:36:12,731
He had that look in his eye.
598
00:36:12,898 --> 00:36:14,565
"I'm gonna score a lot of points
599
00:36:14,733 --> 00:36:17,068
"and you're not gonna be able
to do too much about it."
600
00:36:17,235 --> 00:36:21,907
Kobe Bryant
feeling it with 47 points.
601
00:36:22,073 --> 00:36:25,076
I'm just shaking my head because
I'm playing it over my head
602
00:36:25,243 --> 00:36:28,412
and that's all you could do
was just, wow.
603
00:36:28,579 --> 00:36:30,081
You know,
what is this guy doing?
604
00:36:30,248 --> 00:36:31,582
We play the zone.
605
00:36:35,586 --> 00:36:37,388
We played a box-and-one.
606
00:36:38,422 --> 00:36:39,925
He gets another touch,
607
00:36:40,091 --> 00:36:41,760
Peterson playing with
three fouls,
608
00:36:41,893 --> 00:36:45,764
Bryant double pump,
forced it up...
609
00:36:45,931 --> 00:36:48,099
We played a triangle-and-two.
610
00:36:52,237 --> 00:36:53,939
We played every defense,
611
00:36:54,072 --> 00:36:56,440
we played defenses that
we had never practiced,
612
00:36:56,607 --> 00:36:58,243
that I had played in college.
613
00:36:58,276 --> 00:37:01,246
We did-- I tried to do
everything I thought of
614
00:37:01,279 --> 00:37:02,814
to slow him down.
615
00:37:02,981 --> 00:37:04,950
The majority of the game,
616
00:37:05,116 --> 00:37:07,285
we just wanted to try to
get the ball out of his hand.
617
00:37:07,451 --> 00:37:09,788
We wanted to send a body
or have a presence
618
00:37:09,955 --> 00:37:12,123
so he would pass it
to the other guys on the team,
619
00:37:12,257 --> 00:37:13,624
so they would score.
620
00:37:13,792 --> 00:37:16,294
My biggest thing with
great players like Kobe,
621
00:37:16,460 --> 00:37:19,297
I was a firm believer
in denying them the ball,
622
00:37:19,463 --> 00:37:20,966
trying not to let them catch it.
623
00:37:21,132 --> 00:37:22,634
Do your dirty work early.
624
00:37:22,801 --> 00:37:25,971
All you could do is try
to take him off his spots
625
00:37:26,137 --> 00:37:27,639
and make him work.
626
00:37:27,806 --> 00:37:29,641
But you were
really at his mercy.
627
00:37:32,978 --> 00:37:34,646
He just kept attacking
628
00:37:41,119 --> 00:37:43,487
The great ones, you gotta
hope they have an off night.
629
00:37:44,322 --> 00:37:45,991
You're not gonna
stop the great ones.
630
00:37:46,457 --> 00:37:47,659
No one stopped Michael.
631
00:37:48,827 --> 00:37:50,829
No one stopped Larry Bird.
632
00:37:52,330 --> 00:37:54,833
Nothing worked.
633
00:37:54,966 --> 00:37:56,668
The single covers,
the double covers,
634
00:37:56,835 --> 00:37:59,004
the triple covers
that we threw at Kobe.
635
00:37:59,170 --> 00:38:00,805
Were throwing bodies at him.
636
00:38:00,839 --> 00:38:03,008
We're double teaming
and we're triple team him,
637
00:38:03,174 --> 00:38:05,176
he's still scoring
and he's making the and ones,
638
00:38:05,343 --> 00:38:06,678
he's making all
of his free throws,
639
00:38:06,845 --> 00:38:08,346
he's making all of his threes.
640
00:38:08,512 --> 00:38:11,182
He was shooting over 50, 60%
641
00:38:11,349 --> 00:38:13,351
from the field goal
and the three point line.
642
00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:20,859
And I'm just looking at him
like, "What the?"
643
00:38:22,160 --> 00:38:24,528
You know, but I had
to keep my cool and composure
644
00:38:24,663 --> 00:38:26,197
'cause we were trying
to win the game.
645
00:38:28,867 --> 00:38:30,869
And at the end
of the third quarter,
646
00:38:31,036 --> 00:38:34,039
it's been all L.A.,
all Kobe Bryant.
647
00:38:34,205 --> 00:38:37,208
91-85 with crowd on their feet.
648
00:38:38,376 --> 00:38:40,544
I think it kind of made Kobe hot
649
00:38:40,712 --> 00:38:42,546
because he was saying, "Okay,
650
00:38:42,579 --> 00:38:44,716
"you're gonna send double
and triple team at me.
651
00:38:44,849 --> 00:38:46,384
"I'm just not
gonna pass the ball."
652
00:38:47,719 --> 00:38:51,222
And I said this to Kobe.
If we would have won the game
653
00:38:51,356 --> 00:38:52,724
and you would have had
the 81 points,
654
00:38:52,891 --> 00:38:54,558
they would have
called you selfish.
655
00:39:03,234 --> 00:39:06,537
You know, I think for him,
more so than anything,
656
00:39:06,570 --> 00:39:09,240
it was about
proving everybody wrong.
657
00:39:09,407 --> 00:39:12,543
That he could
carry a team by himself,
658
00:39:12,576 --> 00:39:18,750
a team that wasn't stacked with,
you know, all these superstars.
659
00:39:18,917 --> 00:39:23,587
So, I think that for him,
this season was, you know,
660
00:39:23,755 --> 00:39:27,258
he was very motivated by--
by that point
661
00:39:27,425 --> 00:39:31,096
of like,
"I can carry anybody," you know?
662
00:39:31,262 --> 00:39:35,599
He told me he just
didn't want to lose that game
663
00:39:35,767 --> 00:39:39,270
and he thought that he could
win it by himself if he had to.
664
00:39:39,437 --> 00:39:41,906
Man, he put on his cape.
665
00:39:41,940 --> 00:39:44,109
He put on his cape
666
00:39:44,275 --> 00:39:48,446
and he carried us
throughout that game, man.
667
00:39:48,612 --> 00:39:52,450
When he-- when he gets
into his, uh, his "mamba" zone,
668
00:39:52,616 --> 00:39:53,952
like he looks at me.
669
00:39:56,788 --> 00:39:58,622
And you-- I know that he's--
670
00:39:58,790 --> 00:40:00,959
he's-- he's--
he's ready to attack.
671
00:40:01,092 --> 00:40:03,962
You know that means get him
the ball and get out of his way.
672
00:40:04,963 --> 00:40:06,631
When you think about
mamba mentality,
673
00:40:06,798 --> 00:40:08,800
if you go into the history
on the snake,
674
00:40:10,135 --> 00:40:12,470
you know,
it's just a deadly person.
675
00:40:16,941 --> 00:40:19,144
Keep coming, keep pursuing.
676
00:40:19,277 --> 00:40:20,812
Don't give up, don't give in.
677
00:40:20,979 --> 00:40:24,015
Find a way.
That was what Kobe was about.
678
00:40:24,182 --> 00:40:26,151
I'm gonna keep knocking on
that door
679
00:40:26,317 --> 00:40:27,652
until I find a way to get in.
680
00:40:29,487 --> 00:40:32,657
Toughness, mental toughness.
681
00:40:32,824 --> 00:40:34,659
I'm gonna break you.
682
00:40:34,826 --> 00:40:39,164
I'm gonna get right inside you
and make you pay
683
00:40:39,330 --> 00:40:42,967
for being on the NBA floor
trying to guard me.
684
00:40:43,001 --> 00:40:48,006
Drive determination,
fearlessness, aggression.
685
00:40:48,139 --> 00:40:51,009
Slither and get angles
and get his angles
686
00:40:51,142 --> 00:40:54,679
and then attack like a mamba
and explode to the rim.
687
00:40:55,513 --> 00:40:57,515
I just feel like
he's just straight killer.
688
00:40:59,517 --> 00:41:03,188
K-I-L-L-E-R.
689
00:41:03,855 --> 00:41:05,023
Just a killer.
690
00:41:06,024 --> 00:41:08,193
And that's what
mamba mentality means to me.
691
00:41:15,200 --> 00:41:20,705
It's having
an extreme will to win
692
00:41:20,839 --> 00:41:23,041
in anything that you're doing.
693
00:41:23,208 --> 00:41:24,876
Anything that you're doing.
694
00:41:25,043 --> 00:41:27,045
Just having
a will to win in life
695
00:41:27,212 --> 00:41:32,383
Literally, like whether
that's being a husband or wife,
696
00:41:32,550 --> 00:41:36,721
father or mother,
journalist, a teacher,
697
00:41:36,888 --> 00:41:38,890
janitor, police officer,
698
00:41:39,057 --> 00:41:40,725
whatever it is
that you're doing,
699
00:41:40,892 --> 00:41:42,727
whatever is
a part of your lifestyle,
700
00:41:42,894 --> 00:41:48,233
you approach that in such a way
where the attention to detail,
701
00:41:48,399 --> 00:41:50,568
making sure you're performing
at a high level,
702
00:41:50,735 --> 00:41:54,405
no excuses, showing up
every day, doing the work,
703
00:41:54,572 --> 00:41:57,408
working your ass off,
all of that...
704
00:41:59,577 --> 00:42:03,248
in my definition
is the mamba mentality
705
00:42:05,550 --> 00:42:08,920
We want the people that are
gonna go the extra mile
706
00:42:09,087 --> 00:42:12,090
to be the best you could be
in life.
707
00:42:15,260 --> 00:42:18,429
He made me realize that
I was thinking too small.
708
00:42:18,596 --> 00:42:22,433
He wanted to be
the best player in the world.
709
00:42:22,934 --> 00:42:25,103
I just wanted to make the NBA.
710
00:42:26,271 --> 00:42:29,774
So that alone, we just know
what type of person he was
711
00:42:29,941 --> 00:42:31,776
because he lead by example.
712
00:42:31,943 --> 00:42:36,814
So, we had to watch what he did
to kinda see his leadership.
713
00:42:36,981 --> 00:42:39,951
How hard he played,
you know, the preparation,
714
00:42:40,118 --> 00:42:44,289
the dedication,
how hard he practiced.
715
00:42:44,455 --> 00:42:46,457
You know, every day in practice,
716
00:42:46,624 --> 00:42:47,959
it was that mentality.
717
00:42:48,126 --> 00:42:51,129
Him staying late.
718
00:42:51,296 --> 00:42:54,299
You know him getting there
at five a.m. in the morning.
719
00:42:54,465 --> 00:42:57,302
Him doing everything
that he needed to do
720
00:42:57,468 --> 00:43:00,805
in order to put the best
Kobe Bryant on the court.
721
00:43:19,824 --> 00:43:22,661
If he looked at us and
we weren't ready, he'd tell you.
722
00:43:25,330 --> 00:43:27,498
And that's why people said,
723
00:43:27,666 --> 00:43:30,168
"I want to be
around Kobe Bryant."
724
00:43:32,003 --> 00:43:34,839
You know, you have no choice
but to fall in line.
725
00:43:36,507 --> 00:43:39,645
That's what the great
superstars, that's what they do.
726
00:43:44,382 --> 00:43:47,318
He's just like,
"Shawne, man, I'm telling you,
727
00:43:47,352 --> 00:43:49,854
"you just gotta play
hard as you can.
728
00:43:50,021 --> 00:43:51,657
"You just gotta play hardest."
729
00:43:51,690 --> 00:43:53,524
But I'm so frustrated,
but I'm saying in my head,
730
00:43:53,692 --> 00:43:55,860
I'm like, "God damn,
I am playing hard as I can,
731
00:43:55,994 --> 00:43:57,862
"so what do you think
I can do," you know?
732
00:43:58,029 --> 00:44:00,699
Like what is
the next level of this?
733
00:44:00,865 --> 00:44:02,533
I was just saying
in my head, I was like,
734
00:44:02,701 --> 00:44:04,369
"If I ain't playing hard
enough for Kobe like shit,
735
00:44:04,535 --> 00:44:07,706
"I think I might retire,"
'cause shit, I'm playing--
736
00:44:07,872 --> 00:44:09,540
I don't have nothing left
out here.
737
00:44:09,675 --> 00:44:11,542
I'm giving my all.
738
00:44:13,544 --> 00:44:18,549
So many kids look up
to him because of who he was.
739
00:44:19,884 --> 00:44:22,387
They wanted to be Kobe Bryant.
740
00:44:23,888 --> 00:44:25,724
I wanted to be Kobe Bryant.
741
00:44:30,895 --> 00:44:32,397
Another story.
742
00:44:32,530 --> 00:44:37,068
We had a strict
diet um, at the Lakers.
743
00:44:37,235 --> 00:44:39,404
So they had this--
this big diet team.
744
00:44:39,537 --> 00:44:41,239
I don't know if they were
from Germany, something.
745
00:44:41,406 --> 00:44:43,408
They was--
they was from a soccer club.
746
00:44:43,574 --> 00:44:45,243
They were spending
a ton of money on this.
747
00:44:45,410 --> 00:44:48,079
They was trying to get everybody
to be on grass fed--
748
00:44:48,246 --> 00:44:51,750
grass fed beef,
um, pure organic stuff.
749
00:44:51,916 --> 00:44:54,585
But you gotta understand,
we was losing.
750
00:44:54,753 --> 00:44:57,422
So every day, when we come in,
751
00:44:57,588 --> 00:44:59,924
they'll bring us into
the meeting room,
752
00:45:00,091 --> 00:45:01,592
we're sitting there
753
00:45:01,727 --> 00:45:03,428
and I probably
shouldn't be tell you this,
754
00:45:03,594 --> 00:45:05,263
but they'll bring us in
the meeting room
755
00:45:05,396 --> 00:45:06,931
and we'll be sitting there,
756
00:45:07,065 --> 00:45:08,599
and they'd be talking--
talking to us about food
757
00:45:08,734 --> 00:45:11,436
and Kobe said,
um, he just raised his hand,
758
00:45:11,602 --> 00:45:14,939
he said, "Listen, um,
do y'all have the study on this?
759
00:45:15,106 --> 00:45:17,743
"Do you have the facts on this?
Who did the study?
760
00:45:17,776 --> 00:45:20,611
"When was this study conducted?"
He just stand up.
761
00:45:20,779 --> 00:45:24,783
He was like, "Because I don't
give a... about no eating.
762
00:45:24,949 --> 00:45:26,617
"We just lost four games
in a row
763
00:45:26,785 --> 00:45:29,120
"and y'all in here talking about
what they're gonna eat?
764
00:45:29,287 --> 00:45:30,789
"To hell with that."
765
00:45:30,955 --> 00:45:33,458
He was like, "I want the study,
I want the study.
766
00:45:33,624 --> 00:45:35,460
"Is this facts, proven facts?"
767
00:45:35,593 --> 00:45:38,296
It's like, he just challenged
our nutritionist.
768
00:45:38,463 --> 00:45:39,964
He just challenged her
769
00:45:40,131 --> 00:45:42,133
and challenged him
all the way to the bone
770
00:45:42,300 --> 00:45:44,302
to where they had to come in
with a pack of papers
771
00:45:44,469 --> 00:45:47,972
to prove to him this stuff
is facts, this is a study,
772
00:45:48,139 --> 00:45:49,641
but he still
didn't want to hear it
773
00:45:49,808 --> 00:45:51,442
because we had lost
four games in a row.
774
00:45:51,476 --> 00:45:53,144
He feels like
there's bigger things out here.
775
00:45:53,311 --> 00:45:55,113
Even though he wasn't playing,
776
00:45:55,146 --> 00:45:56,981
there's bigger things there to
be talking about than food.
777
00:45:57,014 --> 00:45:58,616
They need to be in the gym.
778
00:46:03,321 --> 00:46:06,124
There's gotta be
an obsessive nature to it.
779
00:46:07,492 --> 00:46:12,664
So, when you talk about
Mike Tyson, obsessive, right?
780
00:46:12,831 --> 00:46:15,299
Just crazy.
Like the way his mind works,
781
00:46:15,333 --> 00:46:17,468
the way he approached boxing.
782
00:46:17,502 --> 00:46:18,837
Michael Jackson, right?
783
00:46:19,003 --> 00:46:22,006
Still another
great iconic person,
784
00:46:22,173 --> 00:46:24,008
great in his field. Same thing.
785
00:46:24,175 --> 00:46:27,178
Same thing with Mike,
same thing with Kobe.
786
00:46:27,345 --> 00:46:30,014
It's just the way
they operate is so different
787
00:46:30,181 --> 00:46:31,717
Amongst everybody else
788
00:46:31,884 --> 00:46:35,019
and they set the tone
coming in from the start.
789
00:46:36,187 --> 00:46:39,524
It's definitely been, um, some
broken cameras after the game
790
00:46:39,691 --> 00:46:42,694
and some things misplaced
here and there.
791
00:46:42,861 --> 00:46:45,363
Some-- some cuss words said.
792
00:46:48,199 --> 00:46:51,536
I had to tell him
and I had to-- I had to beg him,
793
00:46:51,703 --> 00:46:53,504
Be like,
"Yo, pass the ball dude."
794
00:46:53,538 --> 00:46:58,209
And he always thought that him
shooting over three guys
795
00:46:58,376 --> 00:47:03,047
was a better chance of making
it than somebody else shooting.
796
00:47:11,389 --> 00:47:15,059
Me and Kobe started to
butt heads a little bit.
797
00:47:15,226 --> 00:47:17,863
Um, you know, if-- if--
798
00:47:17,896 --> 00:47:21,065
if you want me to be completely
honest and candid right now,
799
00:47:21,232 --> 00:47:25,737
I didn't feel Kobe honestly
was giving respect to me
800
00:47:25,904 --> 00:47:27,405
or his teammates.
801
00:47:27,572 --> 00:47:31,242
So, I told the story a long time
ago
802
00:47:31,409 --> 00:47:34,078
that I stopped passing Kobe
the ball.
803
00:47:34,212 --> 00:47:37,281
I wasn't forcing Kobe the ball.
Let me clarify.
804
00:47:37,448 --> 00:47:40,251
You know, Phil Jackson in
the beginning of the season,
805
00:47:40,418 --> 00:47:43,087
I remember Phil Jackson in the
beginning of the first season
806
00:47:43,254 --> 00:47:45,757
that I was there told-- told
everybody in the locker room,
807
00:47:45,924 --> 00:47:47,759
"Kobe is going to get his shots.
808
00:47:47,926 --> 00:47:51,763
"Don't force him the ball if the
defense is denying him the ball,
809
00:47:51,930 --> 00:47:54,232
"that's where we get
our most turnovers."
810
00:47:54,265 --> 00:47:57,268
You know, guys, you know, going
like this pumping, pumping,
811
00:47:57,435 --> 00:48:00,404
trying to get him the ball, they
force a pass and it's a steal.
812
00:48:00,438 --> 00:48:04,609
Uh, so for me, I go like this,
I look at Kobe
813
00:48:04,776 --> 00:48:06,444
and if he was denied,
I go this way.
814
00:48:06,611 --> 00:48:09,447
It's not that I didn't
pass him the ball,
815
00:48:09,614 --> 00:48:11,482
I just wasn't
forcing it to Kobe.
816
00:48:11,650 --> 00:48:15,119
So he felt, I was looking him
off and you know,
817
00:48:15,286 --> 00:48:18,456
that's the reason why I didn't
start my second season,
818
00:48:28,132 --> 00:48:32,303
You know, Kobe Bryant was
the face of the organization.
819
00:48:33,972 --> 00:48:36,140
You know, so if he's unhappy,
820
00:48:36,274 --> 00:48:39,645
they're gonna try to find a way
to make him happy
821
00:48:39,811 --> 00:48:41,813
and that's all that was.
822
00:48:46,985 --> 00:48:50,321
You know, he-- he was, he's the
greatest, one of the greatest.
823
00:48:50,454 --> 00:48:52,323
I'm just a pawn.
824
00:48:57,829 --> 00:49:00,666
It made me feel a way
when he passed away.
825
00:49:01,499 --> 00:49:05,169
I didn't expect for it
to hit me the way it did.
826
00:49:05,336 --> 00:49:07,505
But when I heard of his passing,
827
00:49:07,673 --> 00:49:10,008
like it-- it hit--
It rocked me to my core.
828
00:49:10,141 --> 00:49:13,344
Like I couldn't walk,
My legs gave out, I was shaking.
829
00:49:13,511 --> 00:49:17,015
Um, and I didn't know why,
but you know,
830
00:49:17,181 --> 00:49:20,518
as I was thinking about, it's
because at the end of the day,
831
00:49:20,652 --> 00:49:23,689
we developed a bond
832
00:49:23,855 --> 00:49:25,356
A brotherhood.
833
00:49:27,859 --> 00:49:30,662
We went out there every night,
you know,
834
00:49:30,696 --> 00:49:33,364
82 games for
two seasons straight.
835
00:49:35,867 --> 00:49:40,371
We were teammates, even though
we might have did this,
836
00:49:40,538 --> 00:49:45,711
we were still like this
and uh, you know,
837
00:49:45,877 --> 00:49:48,880
it bothered me that he and I
didn't get a chance to talk,
838
00:49:49,047 --> 00:49:51,717
you know, to one another, um.
839
00:50:15,907 --> 00:50:18,576
You know, we're not
the smartest in-- in our 20s.
840
00:50:20,411 --> 00:50:22,748
Here I am in my 40s and I still
make mistakes,
841
00:50:22,914 --> 00:50:25,583
but I realized
that in my 20s, like I was--
842
00:50:25,751 --> 00:50:27,385
I made a lot of them.
843
00:50:51,275 --> 00:50:57,448
He has the reputation
of being an asshole.
844
00:50:57,615 --> 00:51:00,451
I love it because again,
845
00:51:00,618 --> 00:51:06,257
guys at that level have to have
a arrogance and cockiness
846
00:51:06,290 --> 00:51:08,760
and the competitiveness
about themselves
847
00:51:08,794 --> 00:51:12,798
because they demand greatness.
848
00:51:41,492 --> 00:51:43,494
So, it's a Sunday night game
849
00:51:43,662 --> 00:51:46,497
and the Raptors are up big.
850
00:51:47,833 --> 00:51:51,002
They're up by nearly 20 points
851
00:51:51,169 --> 00:51:55,006
and then Kobe took over.
852
00:51:55,173 --> 00:51:57,508
Came away with a steal
at mid court.
853
00:51:59,845 --> 00:52:06,017
Went to the rim, dunked
and the place started to ignite.
854
00:52:06,184 --> 00:52:07,819
And all of a sudden,
855
00:52:07,853 --> 00:52:10,856
you look at Kobe Bryant
the box score.
856
00:52:11,022 --> 00:52:16,360
He's got 25, he's got 32,
he's got 41 and I'm thinking,
857
00:52:16,494 --> 00:52:18,697
"what are we seeing here?"
858
00:52:18,864 --> 00:52:23,034
So Kobe Bryant's
around the 46, 48 point mark.
859
00:52:23,201 --> 00:52:25,536
And I'm thinking to myself,
"Wow."
860
00:52:25,704 --> 00:52:28,874
And I turned to
my color analyst, Leo Rautins.
861
00:52:29,040 --> 00:52:34,012
I said, Leo, "I think he's
probably gonna get 65+ tonight."
862
00:52:34,045 --> 00:52:36,347
And boy, was I wrong.
863
00:52:42,553 --> 00:52:46,224
Everyone knew at Staples,
he was going to get the ball.
864
00:52:46,390 --> 00:52:49,728
They sent Mike James,
Chris Bosh,
865
00:52:49,861 --> 00:52:53,231
Matt Bonner
Mo Peterson, Jalen Rose.
866
00:52:53,364 --> 00:52:55,399
They sent everyone
at Kobe Bryant
867
00:52:55,566 --> 00:52:59,403
and Kobe just
sliced them up.
868
00:53:00,906 --> 00:53:04,242
Man, when I tell you
it was just like bucket
869
00:53:04,408 --> 00:53:07,746
after bucket
after bucket after bucket.
870
00:53:09,413 --> 00:53:12,918
Bryant is just like looking
at me like, "Welcome to school."
871
00:53:13,084 --> 00:53:15,754
You know, we didn't know how big
it was gonna be
872
00:53:15,921 --> 00:53:17,923
as far as like his point total
873
00:53:18,056 --> 00:53:20,926
but we knew it was gonna be
something special.
874
00:53:21,059 --> 00:53:23,094
Here's Bryant.
875
00:53:25,596 --> 00:53:27,098
And Kobe was going everywhere.
876
00:53:27,265 --> 00:53:29,100
He was going
to the rim on dunks.
877
00:53:29,267 --> 00:53:30,936
He was doing pull up threes,
878
00:53:31,069 --> 00:53:33,772
He was doing fadeaway jumpers
from 18 feet.
879
00:53:33,939 --> 00:53:36,274
He was going to the foul line.
880
00:53:36,942 --> 00:53:40,611
Everyone in the arena
and the Toronto Raptors knew
881
00:53:40,779 --> 00:53:43,114
that he was going
to get the ball
882
00:53:43,281 --> 00:53:46,084
and we still couldn't stop him.
883
00:53:51,622 --> 00:53:54,125
"Kobe is--
Did he just make that shot?
884
00:53:54,292 --> 00:53:56,460
"Okay, let's get him
the ball again.
885
00:53:56,627 --> 00:53:58,964
"Dang, that was
a tough shot."
886
00:53:59,130 --> 00:54:01,465
And there was one shot
that I remember,
887
00:54:01,633 --> 00:54:04,769
he caught it about 38 feet out
near the hash mark.
888
00:54:04,803 --> 00:54:06,638
The shot clock was going down.
889
00:54:06,805 --> 00:54:09,274
Kobe right into the lane.
890
00:54:14,478 --> 00:54:16,314
What am I watching here?
891
00:54:17,148 --> 00:54:19,985
Well, we're gonna
have a timeout here.
892
00:54:20,986 --> 00:54:23,989
Okay. Yeah. He's-- he's on
a different level right now.
893
00:54:27,625 --> 00:54:29,661
I mean, I'm watching perhaps
894
00:54:29,828 --> 00:54:33,999
the greatest individual game
I've ever seen.
895
00:54:51,149 --> 00:54:54,019
So, this is L.A., right?
896
00:54:54,185 --> 00:54:56,520
You got celebrities and stuff
like that.
897
00:54:56,688 --> 00:54:59,024
Rick Fox is sitting
on the other side,
898
00:54:59,190 --> 00:55:01,359
right opposite of the bench.
899
00:55:01,525 --> 00:55:04,863
And he's like baiting him to do
certain things and then,
900
00:55:05,030 --> 00:55:08,166
you know, Kobe won't shoot
that three, right?
901
00:55:08,199 --> 00:55:10,501
And he would pull up and shoot
it. Bam, knock it down.
902
00:55:10,534 --> 00:55:12,503
and he's like, "What?
Right there, right there?
903
00:55:12,536 --> 00:55:16,207
Like, you know, so it became
like this little chess game
904
00:55:16,374 --> 00:55:19,044
that was going on
within the game.
905
00:55:19,210 --> 00:55:21,880
It was a game within the game.
906
00:55:23,514 --> 00:55:27,886
You had Lakers and the Raptors,
I get that.
907
00:55:28,019 --> 00:55:32,556
But then inside the game,
it became Kobe Bryant
908
00:55:32,724 --> 00:55:37,729
and once Kobe started
getting past 55 to 60 points,
909
00:55:37,896 --> 00:55:43,234
Kobe Bryant
became the-- the game.
910
00:55:51,409 --> 00:55:55,413
His world inside that game
started to grow
911
00:55:55,579 --> 00:55:57,916
and grow and grow.
912
00:56:01,720 --> 00:56:05,090
He has 79 points.
913
00:56:05,256 --> 00:56:10,428
It really superseded anything
over what we were seeing
914
00:56:10,594 --> 00:56:12,596
with the Raptors
and the Lakers
915
00:56:12,764 --> 00:56:15,100
because all the attention
was on Kobe Bryant
916
00:56:15,266 --> 00:56:17,601
and how many points
he was gonna end up with?
917
00:56:19,938 --> 00:56:26,610
He's got 79 points and
the crowd is just going crazy.
918
00:56:31,082 --> 00:56:32,283
He goes to line.
919
00:56:33,118 --> 00:56:36,955
That was close.
How much pressure do you want?
920
00:56:37,088 --> 00:56:38,423
I'm going for 80.
921
00:56:38,456 --> 00:56:40,091
This crowd is on their feet.
922
00:56:40,125 --> 00:56:42,794
wanting to be together--
There it is.
923
00:56:44,295 --> 00:56:47,465
Remarkable. Outstanding.
Spectacular.
924
00:56:51,636 --> 00:56:54,806
Chuck, did you ever think
you'd see a player
925
00:56:54,973 --> 00:56:59,310
in any one of our games
put up 80 points. 81.
926
00:57:01,279 --> 00:57:03,481
If somebody told me
we'd be in the house tonight
927
00:57:03,614 --> 00:57:06,017
watching Kobe Bryant with 81.
928
00:57:06,184 --> 00:57:08,820
I can't believe what I just saw.
929
00:57:08,987 --> 00:57:11,489
And now, Bryant's
run out the game.
930
00:57:11,656 --> 00:57:16,661
An NBA player scored 81 points.
931
00:57:26,004 --> 00:57:28,339
You wanna show
your teammate love.
932
00:57:34,012 --> 00:57:36,848
Everybody understood
after the game
933
00:57:36,981 --> 00:57:40,351
how classic of a moment
that was.
934
00:57:44,689 --> 00:57:47,859
I think Kobe was loved and
respected by so many people
935
00:57:48,026 --> 00:57:51,996
because they appreciated
the effort every night.
936
00:57:53,531 --> 00:57:55,033
He tried to be
great every night.
937
00:57:57,168 --> 00:58:00,705
He understood
what the game was about.
938
00:58:05,376 --> 00:58:06,377
Yeah, it was about
the competition,
939
00:58:06,544 --> 00:58:08,379
it was about winning,
940
00:58:08,513 --> 00:58:11,382
but he understood he had
a responsibility to show up
941
00:58:11,549 --> 00:58:13,351
and try to be great
for the fans every night.
942
00:58:38,877 --> 00:58:41,746
There are some people
save their money
943
00:58:41,913 --> 00:58:43,248
to get to go to one game.
944
00:58:44,582 --> 00:58:47,919
One game and Kobe felt like,
"Hey, man.
945
00:58:48,086 --> 00:58:50,388
"I wanted that person to come to
see me live for the first
946
00:58:50,421 --> 00:58:52,223
"and maybe the only time
947
00:58:52,257 --> 00:58:55,593
"I wanted them to leave there
with something special."
948
00:58:56,761 --> 00:58:59,264
He felt that responsibility.
949
00:59:04,102 --> 00:59:08,273
When somebody with
their hard earned money,
950
00:59:08,439 --> 00:59:11,776
puts that money into a ticket
for himself,
951
00:59:11,943 --> 00:59:14,245
for a family member,
for a next door neighbor,
952
00:59:14,279 --> 00:59:17,782
to say, "I want to see
Kobe Bryant play."
953
00:59:17,949 --> 00:59:20,785
Wow, it doesn't get
any better than that.
954
00:59:48,479 --> 00:59:51,816
Look, man. What do you say Wilt
Chamberlain score 101 points?
955
00:59:51,849 --> 00:59:53,785
You shake his hand
and say he's great.
956
00:59:53,818 --> 00:59:55,987
What do you say when
Kobe Bryant scores 81?
957
00:59:56,154 --> 01:00:00,124
You shake his hand
and you say it's great.
958
01:00:05,830 --> 01:00:06,831
Did it hurt?
959
01:00:08,299 --> 01:00:10,335
Yeah, because everyone's still
talking about,
960
01:00:10,468 --> 01:00:13,672
"Hey, you're the team
that gave up 81 to Kobe Bryant."
961
01:00:13,838 --> 01:00:17,508
I must have heard that
for a good two to four weeks.
962
01:00:17,676 --> 01:00:20,511
Coach Mitchell, Sam Mitchell.
963
01:00:20,679 --> 01:00:23,314
We get into the locker room
and it was just silence.
964
01:00:23,348 --> 01:00:26,017
It was just quiet 'cause
we're still all kind of stunned.
965
01:00:26,050 --> 01:00:29,020
Like Kobe just scored 81.
966
01:00:29,187 --> 01:00:31,489
Then the coaches come in like
they normally do,
967
01:00:31,522 --> 01:00:34,192
like any other thing
and then they're-- they're mad.
968
01:00:34,359 --> 01:00:36,194
For me, it was disappointing.
969
01:00:36,361 --> 01:00:39,030
but like I said,
it was Kobe Bryant.
970
01:00:39,197 --> 01:00:42,533
But you can't blame the vets,
you can't blame Jalen,
971
01:00:42,701 --> 01:00:45,704
you can't blame Mo,
you can't blame Mike James,
972
01:00:45,870 --> 01:00:48,206
you can't blame
any of the older guys
973
01:00:48,373 --> 01:00:50,041
because they knew it was coming.
974
01:00:51,376 --> 01:00:54,379
The coaches knew it was coming.
Who do you put the blame on?
975
01:00:54,545 --> 01:00:57,048
So guess who got
the majority of the blame?
976
01:00:58,049 --> 01:01:00,018
Me and the younger guys.
977
01:01:00,051 --> 01:01:02,553
Jose Calderon,
Charlie Villanueva, the rookies.
978
01:01:02,721 --> 01:01:06,891
So, it was
a learning experience from us.
979
01:01:07,025 --> 01:01:11,062
It was a bad one, but
you couldn't blame anybody else.
980
01:01:11,229 --> 01:01:14,065
That's just kinda
how it went at that time.
981
01:01:14,232 --> 01:01:17,068
You put the blame and
you chalk it up, you move on.
982
01:01:17,235 --> 01:01:19,537
But at that point on, now,
you're in the history books,
983
01:01:19,570 --> 01:01:22,040
It's written.
What do you do?
984
01:01:22,073 --> 01:01:24,409
Here's the thing.
985
01:01:24,575 --> 01:01:27,578
It's easy to look back now
at that game
986
01:01:27,746 --> 01:01:31,049
and say, "We should have
doubled Kobe Bryant."
987
01:01:31,082 --> 01:01:34,585
They did everything they could
in a sense,
988
01:01:34,720 --> 01:01:38,423
whether it was a box-and-one,
whether they trapped him.
989
01:01:38,556 --> 01:01:41,259
We did double Kobe Bryant.
We played zone.
990
01:01:41,426 --> 01:01:44,595
we played box-and-one,
we played triangle too.
991
01:01:44,763 --> 01:01:48,099
And at a certain point, I don't
want to say to the journalists,
992
01:01:48,232 --> 01:01:49,934
"Do y'all know
what you're looking at?"
993
01:01:50,101 --> 01:01:52,103
But we did all those things.
994
01:01:52,270 --> 01:01:56,240
I did everything that I knew to
do humanly possible to beat him
995
01:01:56,274 --> 01:01:58,609
and to stop him
and to win the game.
996
01:01:58,777 --> 01:02:00,611
And he did everything humanly
possible
997
01:02:00,779 --> 01:02:04,916
in the-- in the God given talent
within the rules of the game
998
01:02:04,949 --> 01:02:06,785
to not let us do that.
999
01:02:06,951 --> 01:02:09,120
And that night,
he was the better man.
1000
01:02:09,287 --> 01:02:10,789
What's wrong with that?
1001
01:02:12,123 --> 01:02:14,625
I was on teams
that won a lot of games.
1002
01:02:14,793 --> 01:02:16,961
Those were the nights,
we were just a better team.
1003
01:02:17,796 --> 01:02:19,297
That's what sports about.
1004
01:02:20,766 --> 01:02:22,300
That's what you love about it.
1005
01:02:42,120 --> 01:02:44,823
If you remember, there was
a short brief time
1006
01:02:44,956 --> 01:02:47,158
where he flirted
with going to Phoenix.
1007
01:02:47,291 --> 01:02:49,828
I never thought
that was gonna happen.
1008
01:02:51,295 --> 01:02:53,331
When you walk into
the Staples Center,
1009
01:02:53,498 --> 01:02:54,833
you see the names.
1010
01:02:54,999 --> 01:03:00,338
Kareem, Magic,
all those great players
1011
01:03:00,505 --> 01:03:02,140
and then
you see the banners.
1012
01:03:03,842 --> 01:03:06,344
You see the crowd.
1013
01:03:06,511 --> 01:03:10,348
Jack, Denzel.
1014
01:03:12,016 --> 01:03:15,353
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
1015
01:03:17,021 --> 01:03:20,692
Kobe Bryant was
a Los Angeles Laker.
1016
01:03:20,859 --> 01:03:23,528
He was the franchise period.
1017
01:03:25,530 --> 01:03:27,699
But I mean,
you're talking about 20 years
1018
01:03:27,866 --> 01:03:29,835
that he gave
the one organization.
1019
01:03:29,868 --> 01:03:32,003
I mean,
that's a hell of a career.
1020
01:04:20,886 --> 01:04:23,254
It's still kind of bewilders me.
1021
01:04:23,421 --> 01:04:25,757
We didn't know why he retired.
1022
01:04:25,924 --> 01:04:32,096
I think-- I think that he had
officially given the game
1023
01:04:32,263 --> 01:04:37,936
everything that he could,
is my opinion on why he retired.
1024
01:05:01,292 --> 01:05:04,128
You look at the court,
it's like your stage.
1025
01:05:04,796 --> 01:05:08,967
So for him, that was
his standing ovation moment.
1026
01:05:11,302 --> 01:05:13,471
You take that time,
you sub somebody out
1027
01:05:13,639 --> 01:05:15,974
so they can-- So we can
give them their flowers
1028
01:05:16,140 --> 01:05:18,309
while they're
still alive, right?
1029
01:05:18,476 --> 01:05:20,646
So, that's their moment
where, you know,
1030
01:05:20,812 --> 01:05:23,649
it's like they get their encore,
you know what I'm saying?
1031
01:05:23,815 --> 01:05:27,318
So um, yeah,
to all the viewers,
1032
01:05:27,451 --> 01:05:32,323
understand it's nothing
different than being an actor.
1033
01:05:32,490 --> 01:05:34,960
Once it's over, you stand up
1034
01:05:34,993 --> 01:05:36,828
and you give
that person an ovation.
1035
01:05:39,330 --> 01:05:42,333
So Kobe Bryant is retiring
1036
01:05:42,500 --> 01:05:46,672
and this is
his swan song at NBA arenas.
1037
01:05:46,838 --> 01:05:49,507
And everyone would
acknowledge Kobe Bryant
1038
01:05:49,675 --> 01:05:52,844
with a video tribute
to his great career.
1039
01:05:54,345 --> 01:05:57,348
And I saw Kobe
and he recognized me.
1040
01:05:57,481 --> 01:05:59,985
I said a few words to him.
He came back and he said,
1041
01:06:00,018 --> 01:06:02,186
"Hey, thanks for everything."
1042
01:06:03,021 --> 01:06:05,691
And that's the last words
he spoke to me.
1043
01:06:05,857 --> 01:06:08,026
"Thanks for everything."
1044
01:06:08,526 --> 01:06:11,329
When he played his last game
and I coached
1045
01:06:11,362 --> 01:06:13,865
and he played his last game,
after the game,
1046
01:06:14,032 --> 01:06:17,535
I just want to hug him
and just tell him I love him
1047
01:06:17,703 --> 01:06:20,538
and just tell him,
"Man, it's been a pleasure
1048
01:06:20,706 --> 01:06:24,375
"to play against you
and to watch you play."
1049
01:06:24,508 --> 01:06:27,545
And to say that I played
and coached in the era
1050
01:06:27,713 --> 01:06:30,214
that you participated in
because it was a great era.
1051
01:06:30,381 --> 01:06:32,216
I got a chance to witness
1052
01:06:32,383 --> 01:06:35,020
and play against one of the
greatest players of all time.
1053
01:06:35,053 --> 01:06:36,520
He was one of
my favorite players.
1054
01:06:36,554 --> 01:06:38,724
I thanked him for being
1055
01:06:38,890 --> 01:06:42,393
everything that an NBA player
is supposed to be.
1056
01:06:44,395 --> 01:06:45,897
And I hugged him.
1057
01:06:51,402 --> 01:06:53,237
It's brief moments every day
1058
01:06:53,404 --> 01:06:56,574
that I still can't believe
that Kobe Bryant's not with us.
1059
01:06:59,745 --> 01:07:04,215
You know, when you're grieving
about certain people,
1060
01:07:04,248 --> 01:07:07,251
a lot of times what I like
to do is, like,
1061
01:07:07,418 --> 01:07:11,089
let me take a step back
and what would that person want?
1062
01:07:11,589 --> 01:07:14,726
I could hear
them in my mind like,
1063
01:07:16,427 --> 01:07:18,429
"You better not be fucking
crying you little bitch."
1064
01:07:18,596 --> 01:07:20,766
You know what I'm saying?
1065
01:07:20,932 --> 01:07:22,266
Like, I can hear that.
1066
01:07:22,433 --> 01:07:24,268
I can hear him say that,
you know?
1067
01:07:25,603 --> 01:07:27,271
That's not what he would want.
1068
01:07:32,110 --> 01:07:38,784
There's a lot left with Kobe
that might take years and years
1069
01:07:38,950 --> 01:07:43,287
to get to and I'm sure everybody
has tons of stories,
1070
01:07:43,454 --> 01:07:45,289
tons of things
that they can get to.
1071
01:07:47,625 --> 01:07:51,462
You know, he had grew into
such a wonderful human being.
1072
01:07:56,968 --> 01:07:59,771
He seemed like he was happy.
1073
01:08:00,438 --> 01:08:02,641
That's the thing,
like, he finally, like,
1074
01:08:02,774 --> 01:08:05,609
"I done found my happiness,"
you know what I mean?
1075
01:08:05,644 --> 01:08:07,311
"I'm happy."
1076
01:08:07,478 --> 01:08:09,781
And that's the hardest thing
to do for a player
1077
01:08:09,815 --> 01:08:13,517
of his stature, for 20 years,
to be in that limelight,
1078
01:08:13,685 --> 01:08:17,488
to walk away from that
and still find peace, right?
1079
01:08:17,656 --> 01:08:19,323
And he found his peace.
He was happy.
1080
01:08:29,333 --> 01:08:31,335
I'm gonna-- I'm just one
of those type of people
1081
01:08:31,502 --> 01:08:33,504
that I love and respect
greatness.
1082
01:08:33,972 --> 01:08:36,307
I love being in
the company of greatness.
1083
01:08:36,340 --> 01:08:39,678
I love being around people
that are higher achievers,
1084
01:08:39,845 --> 01:08:43,849
that-- that don't understand
what the word "quit" means.
1085
01:08:44,015 --> 01:08:45,516
Love being
around people like that.
1086
01:08:45,684 --> 01:08:47,152
That's how you grow
and that's how you learn.
1087
01:08:47,185 --> 01:08:49,988
Like, what makes you feel like
1088
01:08:50,021 --> 01:08:51,656
you can still achieve that?
1089
01:08:51,690 --> 01:08:53,357
Even though everyone has
told you no,
1090
01:08:53,524 --> 01:08:55,994
even though you don't really
know how to do it,
1091
01:08:56,027 --> 01:08:59,164
how do you figure out
how to get from point A to B
1092
01:08:59,197 --> 01:09:00,832
when you don't have a route?
1093
01:09:00,866 --> 01:09:03,334
And that's the thing.
And so, if I could choose
1094
01:09:03,367 --> 01:09:06,337
one day to be with him,
I would choose to be with him
1095
01:09:06,370 --> 01:09:09,373
that morning and try to talk him
out of taking the helicopter.