Kobe Bryant was not afraid to take difficult shots, and as he demonstrated throughout the course of one of the most illustrious careers in NBA history, he was more than capable of making them. On what would have been the Los Angeles Lakers' superstar's 45th birthday, his former teammate Trevor Ariza has shared a text exchange between the two in which he reminds Bryant of his penchant for taking tough shots.
In the undated exchange, Ariza sent a photo to Kobe in which the 18x All-Star is taking a fall away shot over three Phoenix Suns defenders, including Markieff Morris and Goran Dragic. The image is followed by four laughing emojis. Bryant certainly wasn't offended by the insinuation, offering up a good natured response.
“Means someone should have an easy put back if I miss! Lol”
Hard to argue with that, Kobe. With three of the Suns' five players occupied with defending Bryant one could easily argue that there would have been some pretty open teammates available, but equally the Lakers would have been outnumbering their opposition on the glass. Regardless, as we all know Bryant loved buckets, and it was that Mamba Mentality which saw him take – and make – difficult shots with as much regularity as anyone in history, regardless of any offensive rebounding opportunities for teammates.
Trevor Ariza only played with Kobe Bryant for a little over a season, but that full season saw him play alongside Kobe in the fourth of his five NBA championships, etching his name into folklore alongside the Lakers' legend.
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