TORONTO – Kobe Bryant grinned as he leisurely looped his way around the court in a full-length layup line of Western Conference All-Stars.
Lined up behind DeMarcus Cousins of the Sacramento Kings and in front of Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook, Bryant was entirely unaware that he was about to be met by an unlikely defender.
Gregg Popovich had seen Bryant get to the rim too many times in his career and he had waited a long time to be able to do something about it.
Bryant dribbled around Popovich, but the veteran coach emphatically blocked the shot from behind.