Over the course of two decades in the NBA, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant created several rivalries with opposing players. One of those on-court rivalries was with one of the greatest shooters of all time in Ray Allen.
Although there seemed to be no love lost between these two NBA stars during their careers, Allen claims no trash-talk took place between them. Bryant was infamous for his trash-talking, but apparently it didn’t happen with Allen.
“Honestly, no,” Allen told Macklin Stern of CBS Sports. “Between me and Kobe, there wasn’t any trash-talking. There was a mutual respect. The trash-talking just never happened between us.”
This is a surprising admission to say the least. Allen and Bryant had countless on-court battles with both players entering the league at the same time through the 1996 NBA Draft, including two NBA Finals matchups in 2008 and 2010.
With Bryant passing away over a year ago now, a lot of stories have surfaced about the Lakers legend and the relationships he had with his peers.
Even though Bryant seemed to distance himself from opponents during his playing career, many have come forward like Allen that had nothing but respect for the five-time NBA champion.
Along with Allen, Bryant had heated battles with Shane Battier, Bruce Bowen and Raja Bell to name a few. There are bound to be more stars of the past that will share some stories about the late NBA superstar and the impact he had on their lives.
