When you're playing against the greats, it's understandable to be frozen in fear. Once upon a time, Kobe Bryant faced off with a player who was visibly afraid of him. And being the ferocious competitor that he was, the Black Mamba made it even more difficult for his matchup.
"Well, we had a player in training camp actually named [Mickael] Gelabale," Bryant recalled. "He was a young player, but he had been in the league before. He joined us for training camp, and I could tell he was really nervous. We'd had a little altercation when he was playing for Seattle and now he was in training camp with me on the Lakers and he's face-to-face with me every day, knowing that I hadn't forgotten what happened and that I was never going to forget. I don't forget that stuff. I could tell that he was really, really nervous and I made it a point to make his training camp absolute hell," Bryant told Hoops Hype.
Unfortunately, Gelabale didn't make the Lakers roster. Perhaps the jitters got the best of him. The fact that Kobe made training camp extra challenging also didn't help. But what can you do? To make it to the NBA, you have to be as tough as nails. If you can endure Kobe's assault, you can literally do anything in this world.
Like Gelabale, Kobe was once consumed by the jitters. It only happened once, and it was all for a good reason. The Black Mamba admitted that the only time he was nervous was during his first All-Star Game in 1998. He was surrounded by legends that he studied rigorously. Now he was rubbing elbows with them.
"Only time I've been nervous for a game is 98, my first All-Star game," Bryant said. "Because, obviously, I was only 18 years old, and I'm looking around the locker room, and I'm looking at Stockton, Barkley.coming out the court, Reggie Miller, Michael Jordan and Gary Payton, and Penny Hardaway. But it's just.the list of legends just went on and on. So, that was the first time I ever got a little nervous. Outside of that.it's just basketball. Just go out there and do what you do!"
Gelabale's experience with Kobe was unfortunate. However, the man did have a decent career overseas, playing for different teams. Maybe that encounter with the Black Mamba himself taught him to keep going despite the obstacles along the way.