Photo: Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty
Kobe Bryantmight have been known for his mercilessness on the court, but some players got to see a different side to him outside the arena.
During an interview with Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes on theirAll The Smokepodcast this week, former Houston Rockets playerChandler Parsonsrecalled playing against Bryant during his rookie year with the NBA.
During the game at Staples Center, Parsons said Bryant approached him and asked if he and the team were spending the night in Los Angeles. Parsons was sure it was part of Bryant’s mind games.
“Fourth quarter comes around, and Kobe looks at me and goes, ‘Are you guys staying the night tonight?'” Parsons, 33, recalled onAll the Smoke. “I’m looking at McHale and making sure he’s not looking at me before I’m like, ‘What up? We’re staying.’ Then he was like, ‘I’ll set you up. I’ll get your number from Jordan Hill.'”
“I’m like, ‘Stop, I know what you’re doing,'” he continued. “McHale is over there grilling me. [Bryant] ends up going off and having 40 points — we lose.”
Later that night, Parsons said he was with his teammates when he received a text from an unknown number.
“After the game, we’re with all the OGs. I get a text that says ‘You’re all set up at Supper Club — Mamba.’ I’m looking around like ‘Who’s f—ing with me?'” Parsons said. “Courtney Lee was my guy. I’m showing him the text and asking if it’s real.”
Parsons and his teammates ended up partying at Supper Club, a high-end club in the city. When the night came to an end, Parsons — again, a rookie at the time — received a five-figure bill.
“We have like the craziest night ever. Supper Club is the club where the tables are beds. The waitress hands me the check and I’m like ‘Oh s—.’ I open it and it says $22,000,” Parsons recalls. “I’m sick.”
“I’ll never forget, this chick looks at me, hands me a pen and is like, ‘Sign this for Mr. Bryant,'” he continues. “I signed Kobe Bryant on a $22,000 club bill. He was awesome.”
RELATED VIDEO: Naomi Osaka Grieves Kobe Bryant’s Death in Netflix Doc, Wonders How ‘to Carry on His Mentality in Tennis’
On Tuesday, Parsons posted avideoto Instagram from his night at the Supper Club and thanked the late Bryant for treating him to a good time.
“2 shocking things from this night. my belt, and that i refused to buy a new iphone with a working home button,” he wrote. “thanks Kobe for an epic night.”
Parsons also included a picture of the texts he exchanged with Bryant, whodiedin a helicopter crash in January 2020. Bryant’s last message to him was simply, “have fun.”
source: people.com
