A rookie Luke Walton made the mistake of enjoying himself a little too much the night prior to a practice, and teammate Kobe Bryant made him pay dearly.
Walton, the current Los Angeles Lakers head coach, shared a great story of how The Black Mamba mercilessly lit him up as he struggled with a hangover.
https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/786385153891438592
Bryant made Walton check him one-on-one the entire practice, which is of course a nightmare scenario even if he had been sober.
Per Silver Screen and Roll (via Open Run):
“I probably had too much to drink the night before,” Walton recalled. “So I came in, I was a rookie, I felt good, and they could smell some alcohol on me, and Kobe informed the rest of the team that nobody was allowed to help me on defense, and that I had to guard him the entire practice.
“And I was laughing at first, like ‘oh, this is funny,’ Walton continued. “But in Kobe’s mind, in his eyes, he was like ‘no, i see and smell weakness, I’m going to destroy you today.’ He taught me a lesson (laughing), he taught me a lesson. He probably scored 70-something in practice that day, and I’m begging for help, but none of my teammates would help. His killer instinct, and his work ethic will stick with me forever.”
