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Los Angeles Lakers great and basketball icon Kobe Bryant couldn’t resist firing a shot at then-Boston Celtics leader Paul Pierce, even after suffering a torn ACL back in 2013.
As the story goes, Bryant, fully invested in the Boston-Los Angeles rivalry, suffered the injury midway through a game against the Golden State Warriors, which rewarded the five-time NBA Finals champ with two free-throw attempts. Bryant, shooting while with a torn left Achilles, drained both free throws and refused any assistance back to the Lakers locker room.
When asked whether or not Byrant wanted a wheelchair, by ex-Lakers trainer Gary Vitti, Bryant dropped an explicit Pierce diss in response:
“(Expletive), Paul Pierce,” Bryant told Vitti, per Mark Medina of Sportskeeda.
Pierce, of course, has been at the center of one of the biggest all-time NBA conspiracy theories. During Game 1 of the 2008 NBA Finals, in which Pierce squared off against Bryant and the Lakers, Pierce suffered a third-quarter knee injury, requiring a wheelchair and assistance off the floor.
However, many don’t believe that’s exactly what went down in Boston.
Non-believers feel as though Pierce instead suffered an in-game accident that required an emergency change of shorts. Yet, even years later, Pierce has denied those rumors, leaving the truth up for speculation.
As for Bryant, that injury signaled the beginning of the end for one of the most dominant forces in NBA history. Bryant underwent a rough sendoff into retirement, playing in just 41 games — or half a season — for the next seasons before toughening out one final 66-game run in 2015-16.
Five years later, following his tragic passing, Bryant was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, alongside Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan.