Kobe Bryant’s incredibly competitive spirit was on full display in a text message he sent LeBron James during the infamous summer of 2010.
The summer of 2010 was the one where LeBron left Cleveland for Miami to form a Big 3 with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Prior to James announcing his decision, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding the MVP’s future.
Would he stay in Cleveland? Would he go to the Knicks? Would he consider the Lakers? The Heat weren’t even in the picture according to most insiders.
Regardless of where LeBron chose to go, Kobe had a warning for him.
According to Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, Kobe sent the following awesome text to LeBron that summer:
“Go ahead and get another MVP, if you want. And find the city you want to live in. But we’re going to win the championship. Don’t worry about it.”
Does it get more Kobe Bryant than that?
[Also see: Kobe and LeBron trade trash talk on Christmas 2010]
Despite his bravado, Bryant couldn’t have been more wrong about the message he sent LeBron.
Though the Lakers had just won the title — their second in a row (LeBron won NBA MVP both seasons) — James led his Heat to the NBA Finals each of the next four seasons. The Mavs won the title the next season, and then LeBron got his rings — two in a row — before the Spurs ending that streak in June. The Lakers haven’t been back to the Finals since Kobe sent that message.
[Related: Kobe tells LeBron one ring is not enough]
I’m not a Kobe fan, but you have to admire his competitive spirit. That guy is oozing with confidence and belief in himself and his teammates. His drive, desire and will to win have helped him win five NBA titles.
That story about the text message came as part of a cool article Ding wrote on “untold stories” about Kobe. I suggest you check out the entire thing for more nice Kobe stories.
