Kobe Bryant and LeBron James are two of the best players in NBA history. They have combined to win nine championships, six Finals MVPs and five regular season MVPs.
Bryant and James were close friends despite being rivals on the basketball court. They bonded in the summer of 2008 during the Olympics, helping Team USA win the gold medal.
However, despite being friends, Bryant didn't want to see James become better at basketball because he wanted to be at the top of the mountain all the time.
During an interview with Charles Bethea of The New Yorker, TNT's Kenny Smith revealed that Bryant cursed him out for helping James become a better post player.
"He (James) had his movie come out and they asked me to go to different cities to do a Q. & A," Smith said. "We were talking in the back at one point, in front of his friends and peers and his agents, and he’s, like, 'What do you see?' They hadn’t won a championship yet. And I’m, like, 'Well, you won the M.V.P. You got a movie made about your life. But I still think you have holes in your game.'
"And he said, 'What do you mean?' I’m, like, 'Well, I don’t know if your post-up is really where it could be.' He took it well. Then I told Kobe this story when he was on our show, and he’s, like, 'What the (expletive) did you tell him that for? Why are you trying to get him better?' He wanted to always be on top of the mountain. Some people go to the top so everybody can see them. Some people go to the top so they can see the view. He was a see-the-view guy."
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant
LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Kobe Bryant
Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Bryant, who spent his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, tragically passed away in 2020 in a helicopter crash. He won five championships, two Finals MVPs, one regular-season MVP and two scoring titles.
James, who currently plays for the Lakers, is a four-time champion, a four-time Finals MVP and a four-time regular-season MVP. He became the leading scorer in NBA history in 2023.
Bryant was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2020, while James will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer after he retires.