One of the coldest clips you'll ever see of Kobe Bryant was when Matt Barnes faked a pass right in front of his face during an inbound play. The two players were talking smack at that time and what stood out the most was when the Los Angeles Lakers legend didn't even flinch as Barnes nearly smacked his face with the basketball.

This was an epic moment that epitomized Kobe's intense rivalry with Matt Barnes, who also happens to be one of the most passionate competitors out there during his day. This is exactly why a lot of folks were surprised when Barnes decided to join Kobe and the Lakers back in 2010. As it turns out, Barnes even rejected the prospect of teaming up with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat in favor of the purple and gold.

Barnes made this revelation on a recent episode of JJ Redick's The Old Mand & The Three podcast. According to the one-time NBA champion, who was a free agent during the summer of 2010, he was already in negotiations with Dwyane Wade and Pat Riley about taking his talents to South Beach. This was until he received a phone call from Kobe himself:

“I was actually on the phone with Pat Riley and D-Wade, I was about to go to Miami,” Barnes said (h/t Jonathan Sherman of Heat Nation). “Cause they were like, wouldn’t really say it, but Bron was coming. … Out of the blue I get a call from Kob from a number I don’t have saved, and I couldn’t believe it was him first of all, and just like, ‘What are you doing?’ I was just like, ‘I thought I was coming back to Orlando. It’s not happening. I’m actually talking to D-Wade and Pat Riley about going to Miami.’ And he’s like, ‘Well s—, you want to be a Laker?’ And I grew up in California, Magic Johnson fan. I’m like, ‘Hell f—— yeah.’ And I tell you four or five days later, I was a Laker.”

The fact that Kobe and Barnes set their rivalry aside in order to join forces speaks volumes of the type of competitors these two are. As a matter of fact, it wouldn't be surprising if Kobe actually recruited Barnes to LA because of their on-court beef. Barnes likely earned Kobe's respect throughout the many years they battled on the basketball court to the point that Bryant wanted to be teammates with him.

It's also worth noting that the Lakers were coming off back-to-back titles at that time, which probably made Barnes' decision easier. He ended up playing alongside Kobe for two seasons before moving to the Lakers' cross-town rivals in the LA Clippers. Throughout his colorful 14-year career, Barnes ended up playing for no less than nine NBA teams.

For what it's worth, if Barnes had picked Miami over LA, then he likely would have gone to four straight NBA Finals with the Heat Big 3. It's also likely that he would have won two championships with LeBron James and Co. Be that as it may, it doesn't sound like Matt Barnes holds any regret about joining Kobe in Hollywood.

We can't end without seeing that unforgettable moment between Barnes and Kobe, right? So here it is for your viewing pleasure:

That's as cold-blooded as the Black Mamba gets. Epic.