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While Michael Jordan might be remembered for taking things personally, Kobe Bryant certainly knew how to take his work seriously. The Lakers guard became famous for his Mamba Mentality, which essentially meant there wasn’t any room to relax in pursuit of greatness. Take one moment during a pick-up game as the perfect example of that.

As recounted by Joakim Noah, Barack Obama invited some basketball players to the White House to celebrate his birthday, and they all hit the court for some pick-up action. While you might think that situation would be all fun and games, Kobe wasn’t having it. When King James threw down a rim-rocking dunk, Bryant refused to acknowledge what was happening.

Was that a bit petty? Or was it classic Mamba Mentality? You be the judge.

Kobe Bryant didn’t want to see LeBron James dunking during a celebratory pick-up game

At this point, it’s not exactly breaking news that Barack Obama is a basketball fan. If you have any doubt about that personality trait, though, one birthday celebration will be enough to change your perspective.

“I’m checking my emails, and it’s like, ‘You’ve been invited to Obama’s birthday party at the White House,'” Joakim Noah recalled on an episode of The Old Man and The Three podcast. “And I didn’t even know what we were there to do. I didn’t know who was going. I just know I’m invited. So we go, and it’s just like, the next thing you know, it’s like, I’m in a van. You know, I had just, it’s like LeBron, like Kobe.”

The group ended up hitting the court alongside Obama — Noah made sure to note that the commander-in-chief was talking some trash which earned him a bit of physical, full-court defense — and competing. At one point, Bryant’s Mamba Mentality managed to peek through the fun.

So, I’m sitting next to Kobe, and we’re like, we have the next game. And LeBron gets a steal. And he’s about to, you know, he’s on the break. So, obviously, when LeBron catches the ball on the break, it’s a sight to see. Everyone’s, like, watching. Like, “OK, what is he gonna do?” And I just remember Kobe turns around and starts talking to me about, like, something completely, like he didn’t even want to acknowledge the dunk. And I was like, “OK, I know I’m sick, but this guy’s sick as hell, too.” I was like, “This guy won’t even acknowledge.” I was like, “Wow.” That said a lot to me, that he wouldn’t even acknowledge LeBron’s fast break. He didn’t want the visual of him watching LeBron dunk like this. He didn’t want that picture of him looking. I was like, “Wow, there’s levels to this.”

Joakim Noah

And, to be clear, this is Joakim Noah, a man whose entire professional career was based on being competitive and playing with an edge, speaking. For him to leave with the impression that Bryant was on another level really does speak volumes.

Kobe may have been an NBA legend who was beloved by basketball fans around the world, but maybe he wasn’t the person to invite over for a fun day of pick-up basketball.

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Senior Writer, Programmer

Joe Kozlowski

Joe Kozlowski began his career as a sports journalist in 2013 and joined Sportscasting in 2019. He covers the NBA and soccer for Sportscasting, with specialties in legacy NBA players such as Michael Jordan and Premier League club Arsenal. Off the clock, he’s a Kansas City Chiefs fan and a hockey goalie.

Growing up loving Shaquille O’Neal and reading everything he could about the great big men throughout NBA history — likely because he was still tall enough, at least relative to his peers, to play center — he’s continued to love learning about and exploring the historical and story-based sides of the basketball archives.

As for Arsenal, Joe spent a year living in London and latched onto the local support of the club. He’s barely missed a match since, loving Arsene Wenger, enduring the Banter Era, and following along through rebuilds. The Premier League interest developed into a passionate following of the Champions League, Europe’s big five league, and international soccer as a whole when played at the highest level.

Regardless of the sport, Joe is captivated by the stories of athletes beyond the box scores and how they push the envelope — both in terms of what we think a human is capable of accomplishing and how they find new competitive tactics to win.