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"This MFer elbows me, bite my tongue" - Matt Barnes on what preceded his iconic ball-fake on Kobe Bryant
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- "This MFer elbows me, bite my tongue" - Matt Barnes on what preceded his iconic ball-fake on Kobe Bryant
Aside from his incredible greatness and work ethic, Kobe Bryant was known for a fearless competitive mentality that nobody could ignore. Whether it was Michael Jordan or "Joe Schmoe," Bryant knew he had no friends on the basketball court.
So, when Matt Barnes matched up against Kobe during a regular-season finals rematch in 2010 between the Orlando Magic and the Los Angeles Lakers , he knew what Bryant was made of, but didn't expect to get under his skin so easily.
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"There's tricks to the trade, and Kobe was somebody who would try to mentally attack you, too," said Barnes. "So, you know, elbowing you, grabbing you, doing all that little s–t that they're not going to call on him, but they're going to call on the person that reacts to it."
Kobe persistently attacked Barnes throughout the game
While he was an unmatched competitor himself, Barnes didn't let Bryant's greatness faze him, as he knew he could hold his own against anybody when it came to competing. After all, he guarded every team's best offensive player, so he was used to rustling and tussling. Because of that, however, Bean knew he had to get to his head to throw Matt off his game.
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"So, he had elbowed me in my sternum that game, and knocked the wind out of me. I'm like, 'Alright motherf–ker, this what we on?'" said Barnes, who received a technical foul for his reaction after that play.
"Then, later in the game, they show this a lot, he was guarding me on the baseline, but he tried to come from the backside and block Dwight's shot, and it just bounced on the rim perfect where I went up, and caught a dunk tip, and I pushed myself to him."
Unfortunately for Barnes, before he knew it, he was due for another technical despite his spectacular play, which fumed him.
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Barnes almost threw the ball at Kobe's face
Like anybody else who would catch a tip-dunk, Barnes hyped himself up and let Bryant know he isn't backing down from his mind games. However, that's what Bryant had planned all along.
"So, when I came off the rim, I'm like in his face, and this motherf–ker elbows me [to his chest and head], bite my tongue and everything, and the ref's just standing there and doesn't say s–t," said Matt.
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Filled with rage, Barnes wanted to get back at Bryant, but he knew he couldn't land dirty shots like Kobe or else he would get thrown out of the game. So, during an inbound play, Matt almost let his intrusive thoughts take over, but chose to stop at the last second.
"So, I'm like, 'F–k it. We 'bout to get down.' You know me, I'm a little unhinged on the court. I could have really just threw the ball in his face, but that wasn't even a premeditated move."
"If you look at me, I'm not even looking. I'm looking at Vince Carter cuz it's a backdoor lob play for Vince. So, I'm looking at him, but something in my body just said, 'Throw the ball in this f–ker's face.' So, that's what I did, and his eyelashes touched it, but didn't move. I didn't realize in the moment what it was, what was going on."
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Barnes joined Kobe in the same year
At the moment, Barnes didn't give much thought to Bryant's cold reaction. But after the game, he realized just how unfazed he was.
"Obviously after I saw how close it was, I'm just like, 'Yeah he's a killer. I thought he was.'"
Although he didn't know at the time, Kobe was impressed by Barnes' toughness and took note of his willingness not to back down. In the 2010 offseason, in search of a new team, Matt was keen on signing with the Miami Heat, who had just acquired LeBron James and Chris Bosh to form a Big Three with Dwyane Wade.
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What caught him by surprise and ultimately changed his decision was Bryant, who personally called Barnes and convinced him to join the Lakers, saying the iconic words, "Anyone crazy enough to f–k with me is crazy enough to play with me."
Four days later, Barnes signed with the Lakers and spent the next two seasons there.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Oct 5, 2026, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
