Throughout his 20-year NBA career, Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant faced off with many of the top defenders the league ever saw. Players like Tony Allen, Bruce Bowen, and Doug Christie all had many battles with Kobe, but one of the toughest he ever faced was Shane Battier.
Battier was never the quickest or most athletic player, but he was extremely smart and did a great job of challenging shots and generally making life tough on Kobe. After 14 years in the league, Battier called it a career in 2014.
Battier recently spoke with Steve McPherson of Medium and reminisced about facing off with Kobe and he said that competitive side of the five-time champion was front and center:
“There was nothing like trying to guard Kobe in his prime.