Stephen A. Smith Tells Howard Stern How Kobe Bryant ‘Scared The Living Sh-t’ Out Of Him

Getty Image

There really seems to be no end to the number of great stories people have about their interactions with late NBA great Kobe Bryant. That’s a good thing.

This week, during his appearance on The Howard Stern Show, ESPN talking head Stephen A. Smith shared yet another legendary tale about the Black Mamba that we had never heard before.

After talking about how he doesn’t want to infringe on athletes’ personal lives, “your personal life is your business,” Stephen A. Smith added, “But what you do on the field or court of play in front of thousands in attendance and millions watching, that’s my domain and what you’re not gonna do is compromise telling me what the hell I saw.”

“So did you ever get the phone call?” Howard Stern followed up.

“Absolutely,” Smith replied. “Kobe, God rest his soul. Yes. He scared me. Now he scared me. Kobe scared the living sh-t out of me. Cuz here’s why… Kobe was a savant. You did not know more basketball than Kobe Bryant. So when Kobe Bryant called you to complain, and I can quote him. oh, I miss him so much. I can quote him for you right now.

“Voicemail. ‘You know who this is motherf–er. Get your a– up. Pick up the f—ing phone and call me back. That bulls–t you just said. And don’t keep me waiting for so long either. Your a– better not go on the air and say some other s–t before you talk to me.’

Smith then went on to explain the kind of things Smith had said that Kobe would pick apart on the phone and how they would go at it.

Then, when all was said and done, Bryant would tell Smith, “I have no idea why I love your a–, I really don’t. Sometimes I really, really don’t. I love you, but you go on the air and you say that sh-t again, I’m calling you to curse your a– out. And then he’ll say, ‘Love you,’ and then he’ll hang up.”

It’s stories like that that make us realize how much we really lost when Kobe Bryant passed away. RIP, Mamba.

Related: Stephen A. Smith Disses Rihanna’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Before It Even Happens