An easier task for a reporter than an opponent
It was Thanksgiving of 2013. The Lakers were on a road trip in Detroit, and I found myself squared up against Kobe Bryant.
Fortunately for me, it was on a ping-pong table, not a basketball court.
You see, Kobe had heard that the team wasn’t doing anything for Turkey Day, so he decided to rent out a ball room, purchase a huge spread of food and invite his teammates, coaches and the rest of us on the Lakers traveling staff. There were televisions around the hotel ballroom with football on, as well as a ping-pong table.