Back in March 1999, Philadelphia 76ers icon Allen Iverson scored 41 points and 10 assists against Kobe Bryant in a regular-season game held in the city of Brotherly Love. It was more than just a victory for A.I. and the Sixers; it was a statement by the former that he was ahead of Bryant in terms of all-around skill.
After all, Iverson was the number one pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, whereas Bryant was selected 13th.
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But to nobody’s surprise, the Black Mamba just couldn’t accept that, nor did he forget about being embarrassed by The Answer. So in the months leading up to their next encounter, the Los Angeles Lakers legend studied how to defend Iverson thoroughly to the point that he watched how white sharks hunt for seals on the coast of South Africa.
“I obsessively read every article and book I could find about AI. I obsessively watched every game he had played, going back to the IUPU All-American Game. I obsessively studied his every success and his every struggle. I obsessively searched for any weakness I could find,” Bryant said via The Players Tribune.
Kobe never let another player do the same
That loss against Iverson was extra frustrating for Bryant because he had heard the former get all the praise all year, which wasn’t bad per se. Still, the five-time champion felt that he deserved it as well.
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This motivated Kobe to step up his game. When it was time to face A.I. again in February 2000, he was glad that Phil Jackson gave him the assignment of containing the Sixers’ superstar. Kobe was able to limit Iverson to 0 points for one whole half while he scored 18 points in the Lakers’ 87-84 victory against the Sixers.
“I wanted him to feel the frustration I felt. I wanted everyone who laughed at the 41 and 10 he put on me to choke on their laughter,”said Bryant. “Revenge was sweet. But I wasn’t satisfied after the win. I was annoyed that he had made me feel that way in the first place. I swore, from that point on, to approach every matchup as a matter of life and death. No one was going to have that kind of control over my focus ever again,”added Bryant.
Bryant eventually overtook Iverson
Iverson may have been the better and more productive player during their first few years in the league, but as time went on, Bryant overtook him in that regard. Yes, Bryant had the better co-star and team around him, but that shouldn’t discredit the amount of work the Lakers legend put into his game to surpass his nemesis.
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It also helped that the 18-time All-Star was more competitive than his opponents, giving him the upper hand in most of his matchups. Kobe holds a career-high 8-1 playoff record over A.I., including the 2001 NBA Finals, where he won against the Sixers icon.
In the 38 games they played against each other, the Lakers had a 24-14 winning record. Suffice it to say that Kobe took every matchup with Iverson personally to the point that he studied him like an open book.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 20, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.