Almost every Los Angeles Lakers fan has heard at least one story about Kobe Bryant's legendary work ethic and obsession with perfection and practice. Former Laker and current free agent Nick Young added to the mythos of the Black Mamba when the future Hall of Famer broke his thumb during practice.

The journeyman appeared on The Undefeated's Certified Buckets podcast and talked about how the shooting guard broke his thumb when he made a swipe for the ball.

The highlight of the story was how Kobe reacted when he said the entire practice that his hand was hurting.

“He thought I was trying to sit out. He was hitting my hand, throwing the ball, passing the ball extra hard.”

“I'm like, ‘Dog, my finger broke for real! Listen to 'em! [They're] telling you it could be broke!'”

Kobe's response was vintage Kobe.

“He said, ‘Nah, you faking. You don't want to practice.'”

Everyone who's played with Kobe at least once will tell you how obsessed he was with practicing hard and playing with the same amount of intensity on the court. It's a sign of a supreme competitor that has brought a lot of smiles on fans' faces through his 20-year career.

Since he's such a superb competitor, some even thought that he should come out of retirement and join the Lakers to win his sixth ring with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Unsurprisingly, he shot down those comments. He explained that he enjoys winning his rings the hard way.

Stories like Young's are what made Kobe such a beloved player in the league. Lakers fans are still hoping that he would come out of the woodwork for one more championship season, though.