Lakers Legend Kobe’s Unbeaten 1-on-1 Record…
Long before Tyronn Lue was known as one of the sharpest coaches in the NBA, he was out there running sneaker to sneaker with legends like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal during his early years. Joining the Los Angeles Lakers in 1998, Lue had the ultimate front-row seat—or maybe sneaker-row seat—to greatness, winning back-to-back championships in 2000 and 2001. While his big career highlight involved a tremendous dance around NBA MVP Allen Iverson, imagine doing daily workouts with Kobe Bryant, who was like a basketball superhero with sneakers that doubled as rocket boosters! Lue recently shared on the Club Shay Shay podcast that he never won a single 1-on-1 game against Bryant, revealing Kobe’s practice habits would make even superheroes need a nap.
Bryant was the guy who’d challenge players 1-on-1 with his off-hand just to prove that even with a broken right hand, he was still half-terminator. Young players like Lue had no choice but to step up or risk being left in the dust—a dust cloud left behind by Kobe’s lightning-fast layups! It was all part of the routine in proving the Lakers were his domain. Sasha Vujacic, another Lake Show alum, also recalls their practice showdowns. He describes these training battles as epic enough to be confused with superhero movie fight scenes where the hero never loses. Kobe’s never-ending quest for excellence through these 1-on-1 duels became part of his legendary aura and gave future coaches like Lue invaluable lessons and a golden ticket to more amazing basketball adventures.
