While it took some time for Matt Barnes to reach the NBA and face off against Kobe Bryant , he was already well-versed with the latter's game when he began playing for the Los Angeles Clippers in January 2004. This was because he had already spent so much time watching the Black Mamba work out at the Pauley Pavilion, which was inside the campus of the school Barnes played for in college, UCLA.
However, according to Barnes, there was also a downside to witnessing Bryant do his intense workouts — it made him rethink his NBA aspirations, aware of the tremendous work necessary to thrive at that level.
Barnes joined the UCLA Bruins in 1998. By that time, Bryant had already played a couple of seasons and had begun his ascension to superstar status, earning All-Star and All-NBA berths. Despite his lofty stature in the NBA, he never rested on his laurels and spent more time at UCLA than at the Lakers ' practice facility. This allowed Matt to watch with his own eyes how a bona fide star worked to become greater in the league.
"He was just always on our campus. And come to find out later, you know, that he just didn't really get along with the older energy that Shaq had and some of the things that was going on," Barnes recalled on the "Art of Ward" podcast.
"So you would have thought Kobe went to UCLA — he was always on our campus. And he used to come in and train in Pauley after we had practice," he added.
What Matt saw Kobe do actually made him reconsider if the NBA was the right path for him. After all, this was a teenager who was so obsessed with being the best in the big leagues that he had no qualms about stacking the work. Workout after workout, poring over minute details of the game and sharpening every weapon he had in his arsenal.
"This dude's only two years older than me. Like, there's no way I'm going to the NBA," Barnes asserted. "Watching the stuff he was doing in these workouts, I'm like, 'Ain't no way. Ain't no way.'"
By the time Matt had the chance to play Kobe in the NBA, he was no longer fazed by anything the latter did. Not to say that he could stop the Black Mamba, but Barnes made sure to let Bryant earn every inch and point he got.
"So it kind of started as admiration and respect — going back into Pauley and watching him work out, and then playing pickup games with him. So he was kind of always the target. Like I missed MJ, you know what I mean? By a year," Barnes continued. "So when I got there — when I finally got there — I'm like, 'Oh, here we go.' But I had been watching him for a long time because he was just around. So it was always just a mutual respect."
"You know, just used to make him work. That's it. Make him work. Nothing easy. Hard fouls if needed."
If there was one thing Kobe respected, it was hard work and commitment to the craft, qualities he saw in Matt long before he made it to the NBA. That laid the foundation of an intense on-court rivalry and a close off-court bond.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Apr 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the Off The Court section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
