Anthony Davis can’t wait to shut down Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant rarely lacks for motivation.

He continually chases his sixth ring and beyond. Bryant thrives on proving he’ll still stay dominant at the tail end of his career. As much as he shows respect for emerging young talent, such as Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, Bryant refuses to pass the torch to them. Bryant wants to squeeze every single ounce of talent out of himself to maximize his standing in the NBA history books.

But Bryant also takes some kind of pleasure in reading the negative things the media write about him, or the challenges other stars bestow upon him. That’s why Anthony Davis, whom the New Orleans Hornets will likely select with their No. 1 draft pick, perhaps should have thought twice before uttering these words:

“[Kobe]’s a monster. So I just want to go out there and play my hardest,” Davis said Thursday on the “Dan Patrick Show.” There’s a lot of guys that can’t stop Kobe. So if I stop him I could be one of the guys that say, ‘I shut Kobe down’.”

“Be careful what you ask for Anthony,” Patrick told the former Kentucky standout. “He listens to the show and he has a great memory.”

Retorted Anthony: “Tell him, I’ll be waiting.”

Something tells me Bryant will be too.

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