Former Lakers player Samaki Walker says Kobe Bryant once punched him over $100

He may have been playing for the Zen Master, but in his early 20s, Kobe Bryant was anything but.
Bryant’s former teammate, Samaki Walker, who spent two seasons with the Lakers said that in 2002 Bryant punched him after he didn’t immediately pay up for a $100 bet.

“We got into it. I’m still figuring it out to this day,” Walker said. “Real talk, it was one of the craziest, most immature situations because the situation from what I understand was over 100 bucks. He won the half-court contest and the rule is you get 48 hours to pay the $100. There wasn’t even 48 hours. Kobe comes to me on the bus and asked me where his 100 bucks are and believe it or not, out of all the people he chose me, which is still, to this day, puzzling.

“I told him listen we were going to shootaround at the time, man I don’t have no 100 bucks on me right now … first of all why did he come after me for 100 bucks? With that being said, I put my earphones back on … and once I put my earphones back on, the most amazing thing happened…
“Kobe, he sucker punched me … All hell broke loose. Real talk, all hell broke loose … The street came out in me and I told Phil stop the bus.”

Walker was held out of practice and Bryant didn’t take the bus back, so it wasn’t until before the game that the two saw each other again. After a quick intervention from Shaq’s bodyguard, the two talked it out and avoided escalating the situation further.

“There were some situations with Kobe and what was going on with the wife and the parents and things being said that was all his business, but was making it out publicly and I just happened to come to the team at a unique time, which all this stuff was manifesting, and I guess got caught up in,” Walker added.

CBS Sports