Today is a bad day for Kobe Bryant stans who have held the Los Angeles Lakers legend to the ultimate pedestal throughout and after his illustrious career. Aerial photo footage of the infamous no-flinch highlight that has made Bryant the Chuck Norris of the NBA world was dispelled today, as it turns out Matt Barnes was not directly in front of Bryant when inbounding the ball.
Trey Kerby of NBA TV's “The Starters” initially brought up the footage of a different camera which clearly shows Barnes inbounding the ball at the right side of Bryant instead of directly in front of him, making the no-flinch just about the same reaction any other player would have when a player isn't aiming the ball at him.
Don’t watch the overhead angle of the Kobe-Barnes no flinch unless you want it to be totally ruined.
— Taco Trey Kerby (@treykerby) October 2, 2018
https://twitter.com/World_Wide_Wob/status/1047140944892612612
https://twitter.com/TribStarAusten/status/1047142248742309888
Those who had Bryant as an ironclad basketball gladiator who wouldn't flinch even if risking a broken nose due to an inbounds pass to the face, your notion of a superhero has been now ruined.
The Black Mamba isn't short of on-court heroics throughout his 20-year career, but this is one of the anecdotes that will have to be scratched off the list.
Not too bad for someone who could hang 81 points on the Toronto Raptors or 62 over the course of three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks, or even a goodbye 60 points in front of a sold-out Staples Center in his very last legs.
Kobe Bryant's legacy as a ruthless scorer and five-time champion will live on, but this legendary video surely didn't age well, though he has already responded.
Just talked to Kobe a couple minutes ago about this. He hadn't heard about it yet. He wasn't worried. At all. "You gotta remember I was swaying. He did it and I didn't balk." https://t.co/8nR2wHNIX4
— Chris Palmer (@ChrisPalmerNBA) October 2, 2018
Classic Mamba.
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