Kobe Bryant played 34 games against the New York Knicks during his career and often elevated his game against this historic franchise.
According to Basketball Reference, Bryant’s offensive rating against the Knicks was higher than against any other team in his career. He had a record of 10-6 at Madison Square Garden and averaged 29.9 points per game there, nearly five points above his career average.
In an interview with Peter Rosenberg on Hot 97 in New York, Iman Shumpert recounted a memorable fourth-quarter performance by Kobe Bryant during the peak of the Linsanity era. Shumpert felt he had played exceptionally well while guarding Bryant and was already thinking about the stories he would tell about his performance. However, as the fourth quarter began, Bryant had a warning for Shumpert.
“I guarded Kobe in the Garden. I can’t remember how much he had, but I know I had multiple steals against him. During the game, in my head, all I’m thinking about is telling my brother how I stole the ball from Kobe, stripped him before he could take a shot, and drove past him for a dunk. I was so hyped.
Then the fourth quarter starts, and Kobe says, ‘you had a great game.’ He said, ‘you had a great game, young fella.’ I swear I looked at the clock like, there’s 12 minutes left, what are you talking about? He hadn’t said anything the whole game. I’d been talking trash, stealing the ball, and feeling pumped. But Kobe hadn’t said a word to me. ‘Great game, young fella.’
Then he came down, shot fake, shot fake, threw it off the glass, caught it, and threw it to the corner. I’m like, bro, what’s going on? You’ve been playing normal all game!”
Shumpert’s story highlights the unique intensity and skill Kobe Bryant brought to the court, especially when challenged, and underscores why he remains a legend in the sport.
