Kobe Bryant wasn’t afraid of a damn thing from a very young age, and a new story about the Black Mamba only further confirms that.
Music executive Steve Stoute spent a lot of time around a young Kobe while he was exploring a rap career.
Stoute appeared on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, Club Shay Shay, and spoke about his time around an 18-year-old Mamba. That included a tense night out when Bryant found himself in a heated situation with a New York City gangster.
“[We go] one night to this bar, and back then, street guys would buy all of the Cristal,” Stoute said. “But let me tell you something. They’re buying the Cristal… If somebody comes in and you order Cristal, you got to check in.
“I didn’t get the Cristal. I didn’t want to do it. I’m like f**k this. I’m not doing this. We go out to a diner, like, two, three in the morning, and the same guy, street guy, won’t say his name, is sitting there, and Kobe is making jokes about his outfit, and he’s being a little loud.
“I’m like, “he’s not chilling with that, bro.” The guy sends somebody over, “yo [person] want to talk to you.” I go outside… he got the gun out. I’m like, ‘yo, he’s a young man.’ I’m trying to tell him. He didn’t even know who he was, all right? So he didn’t even know who Kobe Bryant is.
“I’m like, He’s a young man. He’s cool, whatever. Kobe comes outside, sees the gun, I’m like, ‘go back in.’ He goes, ‘I’m not going nowhere.’ He did this on 23rd [street] and 9th avenue. He did that. At 18. He said he ain’t going nowhere.”
Kobe really was as cold-blooded as it gets.
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