Kobe Bryant is a player that inspired many of his peers. He also had a tremendous competitive spirit that was unmatched by those he played against. That said, sometimes he could get a little overboard at the expense of his teammates. This is something that Nick Young actually found out the hard way.
While speaking to Vlad TV, Young recounted his first year with the Lakers and how Kobe welcomed him with open arms. He even had a party for the players which Young always appreciated. Soon after the party, Young quickly learned about the Mamba Mentality.
As he told Vlad, Kobe was trash-talking him in practice, which eventually led to Bryant swiping at his thumb. Young immediately knew it was broken and told Kobe as such. Unfortunately, Kobe didn't believe him and continued to make him work hard at practice.
Soon after the incident, it was confirmed via MRI that Young did, indeed, have a broken thumb. Kobe immediately called Young to apologize for the incident, noting that he would have never done that if he knew he was truly injured.
It was a hilarious Kobe story that Young had a lot of fun recounting. It's clear Young loved Kobe, just like the many others who got to play with him.
