Nash Describes Kobe As “Motherf**king A**hole”; Kobe Loves It

Kobe Bryant’s sheer will and competitive fire knows no bounds. That much is clear while watching him play, obviously, but that doesn’t make learning behind-the-scenes anecdotes confirming that belief any less enjoyable.

Bryant is the subject of upcoming Showtime documentary Kobe Bryant’s Muse, directed by Gotham Chopra. To glean unique insight about Kobe from those who know him as teammates, Chopra asked many current and former Lakers to describe Bryant using three words. In a must-read Sports Illustrated cover story on the Los Angeles Lakers legend, writer Chris Ballard recounts the answer of Steve Nash and Bryant’s ensuing response.

We can’t decide which future Hall-of-Famer’s reaction is less surprising.

During filming, Chopra interviewed a number of Bryant’s teammates, current and former, and he asked them to describe Bryant in three words. After each interview Kobe would text Chopra, eager to hear what people said. Most answered with some variation of “the ultimate competitor” or “killer instinct.” But when Chopra asked Steve Nash, he said something different. After thinking for a moment, Nash answered, slowly, in three beats: “Mother .?.?. f—— .?.?. a——.”

Kobe thought this was awesome.

Perfect.

It’s no secret that playing with Bryant is a chore. But Nash’s respect for the five-time champion is well-known, and that he feels comfortable describing Bryant in such a manner is further confirmation of the latter’s cutthroat approach to basketball. And that Kobe loved Nash’s description? That might be even better.

Add this to the growing mythology of Kobe. Here’s hoping we glean some on-court stories for it in 2014-2015.

What do you think?

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