SUMMARY
- Recently, Matt Barnes who fake passed over Bryant's head and got the no-flinch response spoke about this incident in detail and revealed untold stories about him and Black Mamba.
- In the same podcast, Matt Barnes revealed how this infamous flinch incident with Kobe Bryant unexpectedly landed him a spot on the Lakers team.
The late Kobe Bryant created an undeniable legacy throughout his 20-year-long storied career. During this, he had countless iconic moments, however, one that stood out was his no-flinch moment. Recently, Matt Barnes who fake passed over Bryant‘s head and got the no-flinch response spoke about this incident in detail and revealed untold stories about him and Black Mamba.
In the latest episode of Podcast P With Paul George, Barnes shed light on the incident that happened at the 2009 NBA Finals before the iconic no-flinch game. He stated, “He [Kobe] was incredible but he would try to mentally attack you so whether it’s playing games or elbowing you in your sternum.” The former NBA player went on to talk about how when he caught Bryant off the rim and dunked it, he elbowed him and hit him in the chin.
After this, Barnes looked at the referee and went, “Motherfu*ker you didn’t see that?” He reflected that on that point he had had enough and thought to himself that “I was ready to fight him.” During the Lakers vs Magic rematch on March 7, 2010, he made Bryant take close to 30 shots and then end up faking the ball. “I can still feel the moment like it wasn’t like I’m going to fake the ball in Kobe’s face like my motherfuc*ng arms just did it,” Barnes reflected.
Matt Barnes’ infamous flinch incident with Kobe Bryant landed him a spot on the Lakers
In the same podcast, Matt Barnes revealed how this infamous flinch incident with Kobe Bryant unexpectedly landed him a spot on the Lakers team. After the 2010 season, things weren’t working out that well at the Orlando Magic for Barnes and he was in talks with Pat Riley and D Wade about going to the Miami Heat. “I get a random call from a number I don’t know and I just happened to pick it up and it was him,” he revealed.
Barnes went on to talk about how at first he didn’t believe that it was Bryant. Both of them talked back and forth and the 5x NBA Champion told him, “Anyone crazy enough to f*ck with me is crazy enough to play with me do you want to be a Laker.” Four days later, Barnes was there and spent two seasons with the Los Angeles-based franchise playing alongside Bryant, admiring him, and following the bar that he had set.
Kobe Bryant used to cover NBA fines for Matt Barnes
Kobe Bryant and Matt Barnes became one of the best duos on as well as off the court. They used to hang out and people would tell the former Magic player that he was the only one that Bryant would go out with. Interestingly, Black Mamba would look out for Barnes throughout the two seasons that he spent with the Lakers as well as after that.
Barnes spoke about how he used to play until he didn’t want to play anymore and a lot of times sh*t would go down not because people messed up with him but because they missed CP, Blake, Kobe, the guys that he played for. “I’ll probably even throw the first punch if I really know you’re going to take care of the fine,” he said before reflecting that Bryant was the only one who would be willing to do it.
“I think one of the ladies told me. He didn’t tell me. Like, Kobe took care of your fine,” the former Lakers player added. Furthermore, he added that reacted to this in shock and went “I’m like, What? Really? My dog. That’s my dog.” While Bryant had a ruthless way of responding to lazy teammates, he stood for the ones who were crazy enough to play with him.