Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and Doc Rivers were rivals on the court, but off the court, there is mutual respect.
Doc Rivers has had his fair share of run-ins with the Los Angeles Lakers. Before Rivers was the head coach of the Los Angeles Clippers, he was with the Boston Celtics. He had his fair share of Celtics’ talent with Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett, but it was still no walk in the park coaching against Kobe Bryant.
During Rivers’ time with the Celtics, they beat the Lakers to win the 2008 NBA Championship. However, Bryant and the Lakers went on to win in 2009 and again in 2010 against none other than Rivers and the Celtics. Worse, Bryant, at arguably his peak, was the Finals MVP back to back (2009, 2010).
Kobe didn’t just have ice in his veins on the court though, he maintained it off the court as well.
When speaking with Ian Thomsen, Rivers recalls Kobe’s calculated interactions, “He acknowledges your existence and he would never disrespect you with something he said, he’s just not going to give you the time of day because he wants to beat you.”
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With a long career himself, Rivers knows that Kobe’s approach is just a part of the game. To Thomsen, Rivers listed Bill Russell, Russell Westbrook, Kevin Garnett, “you could go down the line,” of players who kept their game-faces on 24/7. Rivers went on to state, “But, they all were winners, they prepare, they’re tough, they drive, and that’s what makes them great.”
Similar to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kobe wasn’t in the NBA to make friends, he was there to win championships. Now retired, Kobe has left his killer instincts on the court.
Now, he is even interacting with a previous member of the Celtics’ organization. “I had a conversation with Kobe this summer…we just talked and talked and talked. If I saw Kobe in the summer of 2009, that conversation would’ve been one second, tops,” said Rivers.
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While Kobe may never cheer for the Celtics, and Doc Rivers is unlikely to support the Lakers, off the court, the respect between the two is mutual.