National Basketball Association

Ex-Laker: Kobe Bryant sucker punched me over $100

Published Jan. 26, 2016 12:59 p.m. ET

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Former Los Angeles Lakers forward Samaki Walker says he was once punched in the face by Kobe Bryant. When the incident took place in 2002, then-coach Phil Jackson downplayed it.

“It’s just kid’s play, it’s juvenile stuff,” Jackson said at the time. “This is an isolated incident. To be honest, I didn’t feel it was of any importance, but there was a noticeable mark on Samaki.”

Jackson insisted the two players were just horsing around on the team bus, but Walker ended up having to wear a bandage over his eye for a day or so. That’s some pretty intense roughhousing, no?

As some have suspected, there was a lot more to it than that. Apparently the Lakers used to play a game where each player would put $100 in a pot and take turns trying to make half-court shots. The first guy who made it took home the pot, and there was one day where Bryant won and Walker didn’t have his $100. In an interview with the “Brown and Scoop Show” on Tuesday, Walker claimed Kobe “sucker punched” him over the money when Walker assumed he had a couple days to hand it over.

“It wasn’t even 48 hours, Kobe comes to me on the bus, asking me where his $100 is, believe it or not,” Walker explained, as transcribed by Tom Ley of Deadspin. “Out of all the people, he chose me, which is still to this day puzzling. I told him, ‘Man, I don’t have no $100 on me right now. First of all, why are you coming at me for $100?’ With that being said, I put my earphones back on, and once I put my earphones back on, the most amazing thing happened. Kobe, he sucker punched me.”

We have seen video evidence of Kobe berating teammates during practice, but we didn’t know he once punched a teammate square in the face, at least according to Walker. That incident sounds a lot like one that took place in the New York Jets locker room last summer, which goes to show you how much easier it was to get away with dumb stuff 10-15 years ago.

Kobe has probably changed a lot since he was 24 years old, but all of his current teammates should take notice.

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