Blazers' Henderson recalls his first encounter with Kobe Bryant
Portland Trail Blazers guard Gerald Henderson was a rookie the first time he had to guard Los Angeles Lakers icon Kobe Bryant. He fought like mad, clawed for every inch and executed the defensive game plan to near perfection.
And Kobe scored 30 points.
Here, Henderson writes in The Player's Tribune about that experience, and how demoralizing it can be to try and stop one of the greatest offensive weapons the NBA has ever seen:
After the game, Coach Brown gave me a nod and said I’d played well. I think he meant it. Even though Kobe got 30, I had stuck to my game plan. For great scoring guards, the game plan is pretty universal: limit your guy to tough, contested two-point shots. If they’re off-balance jumpers, even better. Problem is, an off-balance, contested jumper might be Kobe’s strongest offensive move. You know the one where he drives past his defender, finds his spot, stops on a dime in front of the help defender, elevates, releases the ball at the height of his jump over an outstretched hand, leans back to put a little more arc on it. If you’re a defender, that’s a great shot to have your opponent take. Any coach would smile at that. But Kobe makes those shots — consistently. And there’s nothing you can do about it… Kobe’s perfected the art of scoring, if that can be done. He has counters to your counters. He has a toolbox full of scoring moves. Every night, he has new tools in there, for new scenarios. Good defense rarely slows Kobe down. In a crazy way, good defense makes Kobe better. It just reveals new moves that he’s been waiting to try out.
Six years later, and Henderson's become one of the more capable on-ball defenders at his position. He can guard multiple positions, and never backs down from a challenge. But Henderson will never forget that first matchup with Kobe.
Few can.
