In a league full of incredible moments, former Los Angeles Lakers guard and coach Byron Scott says one Kobe Bryant memory still stands above the rest.

Speaking on his podcast, Byron Scott’s Off the Dribble with NBA veteran Olden Polynice and host Kid Jay, the former Lakers coach and teammate recalled what he considers the most gangster thing he’s ever seen on a basketball court. It was the night Kobe tore his Achilles and still sank two free throws before walking off on his own.

“And the last one, tears his Achilles, shoots his free throws, and walks out,” Scott said in the podcast. “Let me tell you why it was straight gangster. You watch him get up cuz he thought somebody kicked him, right? Just like everybody who tears their Achilles, they feel like somebody kicked them. Got up and went to the free-throw line. Before he went to the line, he had to walk out and all that. Then he walked back. You watch his face. There’s no grimacing, no nothing. You can see disappointment. He’s pissed. Disappointed.”

It was April 12, 2013, and the Lakers were fighting for a playoff spot, with Kobe doing everything in his power to will them forward. Late in the game against Golden State, he took a step and collapsed.

Fans feared the worst, but Kobe got up. He didn’t scream or panic; he simply limped his way to the line, nailed two crucial shots, then walked off the court with a torn Achilles.

Scott compared the moment to other stars who have gone down with similar injuries. “You will never see nobody in this league doing that,” he said. “You will never see that again.”

Scott played alongside a young Kobe in the 1996–97 season, mentoring him during his rookie year. Years later, he returned to coach the Lakers from 2014 to 2016, guiding Bryant through his final NBA games. That history makes Scott’s praise carry even more weight.

Many players have played through pain, but Kobe’s calm in that moment was on another level. He wasn’t out to prove anything. He was focused, composed, and in control. That was the Mamba mentality at work.

He didn’t ask for help or make a scene. He just finished what he started. To Byron Scott, that was the most gangster thing of all.