Sorry Ruben Patterson, he wasn’t talking about you
Earlier this weekend, the Memphis Grizzlies were west coast bound to play a road game against the LA Lakers. While the Lake Show would lose (lame-year before Ben Simmons), Kobe Bryan wanted to tribute one person who helped him become a better player in the mid-stages of his prime.
Following a loss to the Boston Celtics in the 2007 NBA Finals, the Black Mamba immediately took notice of how great a defender Tony Allen is/was and used that heartbreaking loss to bounce back for consecutive championships. After the Friday night game, Kobe Bean would give Allen a pair of his game sneakers, with a signature saying, “To Tony, the best defender I ever faced.”
Considering Bryant has been in the league since 1996, this was a compliment no other player will receive from Kobe on his farewell tour – which Allen immediately shared the news twitter.
Take a look at the pair of signed sneakers below.
The Lakers Almost Traded Kobe Bryant for LeBron James in 2007