Kobe Bryant was known for being very tough on his teammates, especially during practice, because he expected a certain level of play. The Los Angeles Lakers ' great believed that practices should be way tougher so the actual games would be relatively easier.
Bryant pushed his teammates to the extreme during scrimmages and often crossed the line.
During a practice session in the 2004-05 NBA season, the Mamba tried to test rookie Sasha Vujacic , whom the Lakers picked 27th overall in the draft. Bryant infamously delivered a sharp elbow to the Slovenian's chest, then said: "Get your hands off me, don't touch me the rest of the scrimmage."
It was Kobe's first season without Shaquille O'Neal and he was trying to set the tone. Having a similar approach to his idol, Michael Jordan, Kobe's leadership style was characterized by a strong, authoritative approach.
Brian Shaw , then an assistant coach for the Lakers, knew exactly what he was doing. Shaw felt the Mamba was picking on players he perceived as weak and would not stand up against him. The former point guard confronted the Lakers star about it.
"I jumped in and I was just like, 'Do that to me,'" Shaw said , via Fox Sports. "'You chose to do that to someone who you knew wasn't going to do anything back to you. Do that to me.' And we almost came to blows."
Perhaps Bryant was ensnared by rage that he felt Shaw was trying to sabotage his leadership methods. When the tempers died down and the smoke cleared, Bryant understood why Shaw stepped in the way he did. Kobe may have been way better as a basketball player than Shaw, but Brian knew more about life than the Mamba at the time.
"But then eventually, he came back around and was like, 'I hear what you're saying. My bad,'" Shaw said. "And we made up and everything was fine."
At that point in his career, Shaw knew exactly how the NBA operated. Superstars like Kobe held considerable power in the franchise. People treated him differently. They smiled when he was around and told him nice things. Brian, a keen observer of human nature, knew these things could get into a player's head and affect their personal and professional behavior.
"And a lot of times, they'll be 'yes men,' and they'll do whatever it is that you want to do," Shaw said. "They laugh at your jokes, even though they're not funny. They'll tell you that you look nice, even though maybe what you have on is kind of wack."
"I was the opposite of that," Shaw said. "So if you had on something that looked crazy, I was going to be like, 'That's not it.' Or if your joke wasn't funny, I'm not going to laugh. And if you did something that was detrimental to the team or to a certain player, I was always the one who stepped in and was like, 'That's not right.'"
Shaw's presence was pivotal in honing Kobe's leadership skills. He made sure the Philly native didn't abuse his power as team captain. There are boundaries he couldn't cross and things he couldn't do to his teammates. Bryant learned the ropes quickly, as evidenced by his two straight titles in 2009 and 2010, where he finally proved that he can be the best player on a championship team.
This story was originally reported by Basketball Network on Sep 29, 2025, where it first appeared in the Old School section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
