Throughout Kobe Bryant’s 20 seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers, there were certain players who felt they could guard one of the greatest players of all time.
While Matt Barnes and Metta World Peace got physical with Bryant, none of the matchups got more personal than perhaps the one with Raja Bell.
It all started in the 2001 NBA Finals against the Philadelphia 76ers and reached its peak in the 2005 and 2006 NBA playoffs against the Phoenix Suns. Between all of the trash-talking to the media, most will remember Bell clotheslining Bryant in Game 5 after head coach Phil Jackson’s comments.