"What kind of person is Kobe? Does he bully the team's rookies?" Korver asked nervously.
October 3, 2003, the Lakers' preseason training camp reporting day.
But Little Walton and I were both players who had never attended Mamba Academy. We were equally intimidated by Kobe, the legendary greatest player in history and the notoriously obsessive team leader.
"Bully rookies? Probably." Anthony recalled Kobe's behavior at Mamba Training Camp. Over a single summer, he would beat every player there in one-on-one matchups.
Anthony had been abused many times.
But he had to admit that those one-on-one sessions had benefited him immensely.
Kobe's behavior made the trainees at Mamba Academy both love and hate him.
The NBA's GOAT challenged high schoolers and college students to one-on-one games every day! It was simply outrageous!
But those matchups could also rapidly improve their abilities.
"Rookies! Why are you only getting here now?" Tom Thibodeau roared, interrupting the rookies as they strolled leisurely into the locker room.
The Lakers rookies shuddered. Their experiences in the Summer League made them tuck their tails and hurry into the locker room.
"Isn't it only 7:45? We're not supposed to assemble until 8, right?" Leandro Barbosa muttered.
"We're not late either." Anthony felt that more and more things after entering the NBA differed from what he had imagined.
Wasn't the NBA supposed to be a league for adults, where everyone took things easy and avoided working hard whenever possible?
If the meeting time was 8, having everyone arrive by 8:30 was already pretty good, wasn't it?
"Get your asses onto the court! The coaches and your teammates are already waiting for you!" Thibodeau continued roaring.
"We're coming!" The four rookies hurriedly changed clothes and rushed onto the court.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"FIST!!!"
"DEFENCE!!!"
"PASS! PASS!"
Intense sounds were already