Paul George Remembers When Kobe Bryant Saved The Night During Team USA Party Session

Sadly, George failed to remember the exact price of the bottles but it must have been pretty expensive for George to react with such panic after seeing them come out for the first time. Eventually, he did come to realize that it was just a moment of generosity from Kobe Bryant, who frequently treated his fellow athletes with all manner of gifts.

While George did not reveal the exact date that this encounter happened, we can only surmise it was around 2012, when George was still trying to make a name for himself in the NBA. That summer, he, John Wall, and DeMarcus Cousins were invited to play for the USA Select Team. Bryant was an OG legend at the time but it seems he did not let his status keep him taking care of the younger generation.

While known as a fierce competitor, Kobe was also a very effective leader who earned the respect of his peers and the caution of his foes. His various stints for Team USA over the years are perhaps some of the best examples of how his character and leadership have set the standard for countless NBA superstars.

Kobe Bryant Was A Beast For Team USA

Team USA brought out a different side of Kobe. While he was often depicted as a stubborn ball-hog, Bryant was the glue that kept everybody together on Team USA.

He represented his country in five national teams, going 36-0 in games played with two gold medals and a scoring average of 13.6 points per game. He never lost while donning the red, white, and blue and remains among the greatest players ever to play for the country.

Besides his numbers and on-court production, the biggest thing Kobe added was his wise leadership in the locker room. Bryant served as the team captain in 2008 and he set the tone for team both on and off the court.

While active, he pushed everyone to be their best and challenged his teammates to work as hard as he did every single night. Famously, he used to take 40-mile bike rides in the morning just to motivate his Olympic teammates and he humbly accepted feedback after head coach Mike Krzyzewski called him out over poor shot selection.

So with a legacy of unrivaled leadership and unrelenting competitiveness, it’s no wonder why Bryant left such a lasting impression on the players and on Paul George in particular, who still talks about his encounters with the legend to this day.