'I'm a Mongoose, and they kill every Black Bamba' - Jerry West and Kobe Bryant had heated debates on who would win a 1-on-1 duel

Apart from being known as "The Logo," Jerry West is also regarded as the legendary executive who traded for a 17-year-old stud named Kobe Bryant.

The two developed a father-son relationship right from the start. West invited the young Kobe to his home, where they had dinner and lots of conversations. Jerry shared some critical advice for Bryant on surviving the rough NBA terrain.

Imaginary rivals

West didn't always play a parental role in Kobe's development. As the years progressed, the two behaved more like brothers and wanted to know who was better. And since it would be unfair if they played each other, they instead got into heated debates.

"We had some unbelievable conversations," Jerry said in 2020. "I used to tell him you foul too much, and you would be out of the game in no time if you are guarding me. I asked him if he's the Black Mamba, and he said yes. I said I'm a mongoose, and they kill every black mamba, and you can look it at YouTube, seeing these things fighting, and mongoose wins every time. He said I'm not an ordinary black mamba, and I said I'm not an ordinary mongoose either."

While West looked after Kobe like a son, this didn't mean he backed up from a challenge. "The Logo" believed in Bryant's potential, but West was also confident in his abilities. He didn't want Bryant to forget that once upon a time, no. 44 of the Lakers were the best basketball players on the planet.

Looking in the mirror

Some analysts claim that "Mr. Clutch" traded for Bryant because he saw great similarities between them. Like West, Kobe affected the game on both ends of the floor. Both guards were selected into NBA All-Defensive Teams multiple times. While no. 24 averaged as much as 32.8 points, no. 44 score as much as 31.3 points per game. Interestingly, "Bean" polished his offensive skillset by watching old and grainy clips of Jerry.

"His pull-up jump shot was vicious," Kobe said of West. "Oscar (Robertson) used his body, but Jerry is kind of like me; he doesn't have that big old booty. He's got to use his quickness to get his shot off."

Perhaps Kobe and Jerry's paths were meant to intersect. Who knew that a 17-year-old kid from Philly was a basketball savant who studied West's moves? And who would expect that one of the greatest players of all time would bet big on a kid who was not even old enough to drink?