Being hungover is never fun. Being hungover and having to guard a future Hall of Famer might be the worst thing of all-time.
Luke Walton — a former Los Angeles Lakers player and the new Lakers head coach — was recently on a Bleacher Report podcast. While talking about his time as a player and being a teammate of Kobe Bryant, Walton gave us an epic tale about the time he had to guard Bryant in practice while hungover.
“I probably had too much to drink the night before,” Walton recalled. “So I came in, I was a rookie, I felt good, and they could smell some alcohol on me, and Kobe informed the rest of the team that nobody was allowed to help me on defense, and that I had to guard him the entire practice.
And it gets worse.
“And I was laughing at first, like ‘oh, this is funny,’ Walton continued. “But in Kobe’s mind, in his eyes, he was like ‘no, i see and smell weakness, I’m going to destroy you today.’ He taught me a lesson (laughing), he taught me a lesson. He probably scored 70-something in practice that day, and I’m begging for help, but none of my teammates would help. His killer instinct, and his work ethic will stick with me forever.”
That was cold, Kobe. It’s hard to blame Walton for going out on the town the night before a morning practice. He never was going to be a starter and was playing a limited role with L.A. Unfortunately for him, Bryant didn’t see it that way. He was ready to pounce on the hungover rookie.
It just goes to show you that going to work hungover is always a bad idea.
