“Kobe was just something else” – former NBA player Damjan Rudez reveals the surreal wrath of Kobe Bryant
Kobe #Kobe
Kobe Bryant’s ‘Mamba Mentality’ inspired plenty of his opponents over the course of years. One such player was former Croatian international and NBA player Damjan Rudez, who has nothing but respect for the 5-time NBA Champion. In an exclusive interview with Basketball Network, the 36-year-old made an interesting revelation on how guarding the ‘Black Mamba’ was much tougher than guarding LeBron James.
Rudez shared, “The feeling and experience of going against Kobe was something else. Just his presence was unique and you could tell he was different from any other superstar in the league. I remember playing the Lakers once in Indiana and being up by 30 at halftime. Kobe was struggling with injuries, the Lakers were struggling. Still, during the second half, Kobe gets hot and scores 10 in a row with the final bucket being a monster dunk over 3 guys. You could see his face change as he was going into Mamba mode. We were still up 20, but Kobe sure made us doubt what the final outcome will be.”
Built differently
This is yet another story that shows how Bryant was built differently. While you may witness modern-day superstars accept defeat minutes before the final whistle blows, Kobe refused to back down even if the Purple and Gold were being outplayed.
Damjan Rudez spent three years in the league while playing for the Indiana Pacers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Orlando Magic. During that period, he witnessed several Mamba Mentality moments.
“I think that in as many as 3 games, Bryant scored a game-winner against my teams. That feeling, man….time is running out, Kobe gets the ball and everyone in the arena knows what will happen….his ability to make things happen was unbelievable. I also played against LeBron (James) and guarded him, but Kobe was just something else,” Damjan added.
Kobe prioritized his professional goals over having a normal and balanced life. For him, it was about playing without fear, mastering his craft to perfection, and wanting not only to win but dominate each and every one of his opponents.
Make it difficult
Rudez went on to say how it was impossible to contain the offensive wrath of MVPs such as Kobe, LeBron and KD, yet he tried his best to make life difficult for each one of them.
“No one is expecting you as a defender to lock them up and have them score zero points. Your job is to make it as difficult as possible for them, you are supposed to analyze them and prepare ahead of time. Anytime I guarded Kobe, LeBron, KD, Carmelo and they would score, nobody would yell at me and get mad because of that – as long I stayed with them and contested their shot,” Rudez pointed out.