“I’m going to cross Ben Wallace up and dunk on him”: Nick Van Exel recounts the time Kobe Bryant did precisely what he stated he was going to do in his early Lakers days
Kobe Bryant instructed his teammates that he was going to cross up Ben Wallace and dunk on him and in keeping with Nick van Exel, it’s what he did.
If there was one participant within the historical past of the league who had the gall to enter the league straight out of highschool and shoot 4 straight airballs within the Playoffs in his rookie season, it was Kobe Bryant. Certain, this will seem to be an especially particular situation as a result of that is precisely what he did, nevertheless it goes to point out how assured Bean was at the same time as an adolescent.
With confidence nevertheless, should come work ethic; and Kobe Bryant was definitely no slouch within the gymnasium. There have been numerous tales instructed about Kobe coaching at odd hours in the course of the day, bicycling in excessive warmth, calling up Michael Jordan previous midnight and so forth and so forth.
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Jordan’s coach, Tim Grover, even stated that the distinction between Michael and Kobe Bryant was that the previous knew when to cease whereas the latter didn’t. Whereas showing on the Knuckleheads podcast, Nick Van Exel talked about Kobe’s relentless work ethic and one in all his most iconic posters.
Nick van Exel talks about Kobe Bryant and his dunk on Ben Wallace.
Nick van Exel was part of a 4-man squad that made the All-Star Sport whereas all on the identical crew. Kobe Bryant, Eddie Jones, Shaquille O’Neal, and Nick the Fast all represented the Los Angeles Lakers on the ASG in 1998.
When speaking about this season, Van Exel recounted how in the course of the 1997 preseason, Kobe instructed his teammates that he was going to cross up Ben Wallace and dunk on him. Certain sufficient, he did simply that and it resulted on this being one of many most iconic posters he’s ever had in his 20-year storied profession.
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Nick additionally instructed Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson that, as everyone knows, Kobe Bryant was a tough employee. He would do all the things from difficult his teammates to 2-on-1s to relentlessly going on the veterans throughout observe classes.
Recounts like these are all the time ones that additional show how intense Kobe has been ever since he was a 17-year-old child who needed to have his mother and father signal his first NBA contract together with him.
