As one of the greatest hoopers to ever touch a basketball, there really wasn't anything that would astonish Kobe Bryant on the basketball court. That was the case until he saw what Kat Tan, who is also known as the one-armed Mamba, did during one of his camps in the Philippines back in 2016.
The Origins of the One-Armed Mamba
Back when Tan was 10 years old, she was involved in a tragic roller coaster accident in a school fair which left doctors no choice but to amputate her left arm. The accident happened in 1996, which was the year Bryant was drafted in the NBA. With a modest passion for the game of basketball, Tan spent most of her time in the hospital with her father watching basketball. With the outpouring of Los Angeles Lakers fans around the globe, it was no surprise the games that were shown on her TV for days were none other than Lakers games.
Once Tan left the hospital, she became enamored by the game of an 18-year-old Bryant. Other than seeing the passion Bryant had at such a young age, Tan admired Bryant's decision to skip college and play in the NBA. From there, Tan adopted the mamba mentality before it was even made famous. Despite her limitations, Tan participated in tryouts for her school's basketball team. Her first attempt failed, but that wasn't enough to deter her from her goal, and earned a spot on the team a year later.
When Kat Tan finally met Kobe Bryant
Tan and Bryant have crossed paths on three separate occasions. The two first met back in 1998 by mere chance in a hotel function. She even got to take a photo with Bryant but was too starstruck to ask or answer any of his questions. During their second encounter in 2011, Tan came prepared and had the news clipping from their first encounter framed. Bryant was even inspired seeing Tan after almost 15 years:
“So like today meeting Kat-Kat again, seeing her after so many years inspires me to want to push more. Because I know she's pulling inspiration from what I'm doing,” Bryant said.
Their last, and most memorable encounter happened in 2016 just months after Bryant retired.
In his exclusive camp that featured only 24 players, Tan was handpicked by Bryant to make a 3-point shot from the top of the key. If it went in, all the kids were exempted from doing sprints. If it missed, Bryant added a twist that everyone but her would have to run. As Tan took a few dribbles with Bryant standing at the bottom of the ring, Tan swished the shot. It was a storybook ending to one of the most unlikely friendships in basketball.
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