If you go back to the first decade of the 21st century, the names Kobe Bryant and Tracy McGrady will definitely cause a lot of cheers. In a 2013 interview, Bryant revealed that he had blown him up in a head-to-head with Maddie. Maddy, on the other hand, denied it. So what is the truth? Let's start with that interview —
In that interview, the host said that he wanted to see Kobe Bryant and Maddy single out, and Kobe Bryant said lightly: When I was about 20 years old, the two of us were promoting sneaker brands in Germany together. We both soaked in the gym every day, about three one-on-one games, I won them all, one game also hit him 11-2, and then he said he had back cramps and couldn't play anymore. If you don't believe me, you can ask him.
For this matter, Maddy responded on social media - listen to him! Which NBA player would be idle and single out with Kobe? And we never went to Germany together.
So let's sort out the whole thing according to the clues. Bryant said that the head-to-head happened when he was about 20 years old, so the time was probably 1997-2000. Maddy only entered the NBA in 1997. So it's likely to happen in the summer of 1998-2000.
At that time, both signed brands were Adidas. However, Maddy has been to Paris, Taipei and the Philippines during this period, and there is no Germany! So is Kobe Bragging? It's not that simple! In the summer of 1998, the two had participated in an Adidas promotion in Paris together. Then it is very likely that it was too long and Kobe Bryant remembered the wrong place. However, Maddy denies the existence of single-handedness, which is worth playing.
However, looking at the two men's regular season records, Kobe Bryant defeated Maddy 14-7, and averaged 27-18 points per game. However, considering Maddy's injury problem, we limited the time to the 04-05 season. Maddy's average points per game rose to 22.4 points, while Kobe Bryant had 25.9 points per game. It's a small loss.
Putting aside all this, Maddy and Kobe Bryant in life are actually a pair of close friends. The two met in high school and felt sorry for each other as the school's presiding players. Maddy, who has just entered the league, often goes to Kobe Bryant for training, and Maddy also spent the entire offseason of the rookie season at Bryant's home. The two support each other in the trough of each other's lives, and Maddy once persuaded Vanessa not to give up on Kobe when Kobe was entangled in a lawsuit. And Bryant also comforted Maddy at the end of his career. He even mentioned Maddy on the show, saying that this was the most difficult player he had ever encountered in his life to defend, and this was the only man in his life who could be called the "enemy of a lifetime".
People ignore Maddy's efforts because of his talent, and also forget his talent because of Kobe's efforts. We have watched the two fight countless times, but we can no longer witness the joint efforts of the two. When we looked at the two of them on the court, we couldn't help but let out a sigh. What makes us lament is not only the bumpy fate of the two people, but also our simple and happy days that follow.