CLEVELAND -- Tyronn Lue learned a very important lesson in his second season with the Los Angeles Lakers: what makes shooting guard Kobe Bryant different from the average NBA player is his competitiveness and drive to succeed at the highest level, even on the practice floor.
In a practice game of five-on-five, Lue blocked a shot that eventually led to the second team upsetting the first team, which featured Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal among other star players.
“Long story short, it was a game point and he drove baseline and I was at the elbow,” Lue recalled. “He drove baseline and I pinned his dunk against the glass. He tried to dunk it and I pinned it against the glass. We came down and Devean George made a layup for game.
“Bryan Shaw went, ‘Oh, he blocked you!’ And he went crazy. Kobe wanted to fight me first, and then, second, he wanted to play one-on-one after practice, ‘We’re going to play one-on-one after practice.’ I said, ‘Man, I’m not playing you one-on-one.’ He was so mad, and every day we came on the court, he went after me every, single day. It was crazy.”
Although laughing about the memory, Lue did joke with the media at Cavaliers practice Tuesday that he did not want Bryant to be reminded of the block.
“I hope he forgets it,” Lue said while trying to contain his laughter. “I hope y’all don’t bring it up to him because he might not speak to me. I let it go. Bryan Shaw might bring it up to stir the pot a little bit, but I try to keep it down.”
In 20 seasons with the Lakers, whom acquired him on a trade with the Charlotte Hornets in the 1996 NBA Draft, Bryant has scored 33,226 points, pulled down 6,985 rebounds, handed out 6,271 assists and converted 44.8 percent of his 25,822 shots from the field.
But more than the numbers, Bryant’s success can be measured by the five championship teams he was a part of and the tireless work ethic and competitiveness, both on and off the court.
According to Lue, what has made Bryant such a success in the NBA is the same rare quality he saw in another one of his teammates, Michael Jordan, with whom he played alongside for two years with the Washington Wizards (2001-2002 to 2002-2003).
“He and Kobe were the spitting image of each other,” Lue said. “He always wanted to practice, never wanted to sit out a practice, and Doug Collins would try to make him, but he would never sit out a practice. He was up early every morning for a thing he called, ‘The Breakfast Club,’ where all the guys would come in and lift and go to shootaround. The first guy that went to lift, he would pay for their breakfast. He was just a competitor, and also, he was on one leg at the age of 40. He still wanted to compete every, single day.
“LeBron’s the same way. They’re just more vocal about it. They’re more demonstrative about it. They’ll get on guys. They’ll cuss guys out. They even fight guys if they have to, so that’s just the difference, but they still have the same will to win and to take control of a game like that.”
Lue always saw Bryant as an intense player whose competitive drive superseded his ability to enjoy the game. However, since December, when Bryant penned a poem to announce his retirement from the NBA effective at the end of the year, Lue has seen a different player than the one he used to call a teammate.
“The crazy part about this now that he’s retiring is he’s finally enjoying the game and he’s finally opening up to more people,” Lue said. “His competitive nature wouldn’t let him open up to other guys and enjoy the game and enjoy the moment. He was always about winning, winning, winning, winning a championship and not opening up to guys, so I’m very happy for him right now. It seems like he’s in a good place.”
Although Bryant has stated in the past that friendships come and go but championship banners will hang forever, Lue feels a connection with the future hall of famer, and does not expect that to change over time.
“I just think from the standpoint of winning championships, you’re always tied together,” Lue said. “I don’t think you could ever lose that bond. Even to this day, when I see guys like Rick Fox and Robert Horry and Horace Grant, it’s a bond that can’t be broken. When you win a championship, it’s a bond that can never be broken.
“Whenever I see him, whenever I call him or need to talk to him, he’s always there, he always picks up. He’ll probably come over before the game and give me a hug, talk to me and say, ‘Congratulations.’ It’s such a great bond that I have with him, playing in L.A. for three years and winning two championships. It’s a bond that can’t be broken.”
