"He has no fear of us at all" - When a 14-year-old Kobe Bryant scared older kids by elbowing them and setting hard screens

Kobe Bryant created his own identity when he was a teenager. He was fierce, competitive and confident about his skillset, which made him the player he became in his basketball career. Bryant's mentality resembled Michael Jordan, making him the closest replica of the Chicago Bulls legend the league has ever seen.

The NBA feared the LA Lakers legend. Instilling that scary thought in his opponents' minds was something Bryant had done since his high school days. Kobe would often match up against bigger, older opponents as a 14-year-old.

One instance was against Lower Merion's varsity team. Kobe Bryant happened to play a casual scrimmage against the older players. Any 14-year-old would've possibly been intimidated by the prospects of matching up against the physicality of the school's varsity team, but not Kobe Bryant. It was quite the opposite instead.

According to one of the players named Doug Young, who Bryant went up against, the older players were, in fact, scared of Kobe.

Here's what Young said, (via SI Vault):

"Here's this kid, and he has no fear of us at all. He's throwing elbows, setting hard screens. Bryant was not the best player on the floor that day—not yet—but he was close."

Kobe Bryant grew up in Italy, where his father, Joe Bryant, a former NBA player, played professional basketball. He was used to the physicality before he moved back to the US. Bryant's time in Italy was crucial to his growth on and off the court, with the values and culture instilled in him during his time there.

It made him fearless and adaptable to adversity, helping him hone the "Mamba Mentality" he had associated with his name throughout his career.

---

Physicality was a huge part of Kobe Bryant's game

Kobe Bryant's mental toughness was one of his greatest strengths. His physicality came a close second. As a 6-foot-6 220-pound shooting guard, Bryant used his frame to gain an advantage over his opponents.

He wouldn't mind going against bigger players with more size and strength, as he certainly had no issues playing through contact.

He used it to his advantage defensively, which helped him succeed as one of the premier perimeter stoppers in his prime. Offensively, Bryant would use that physicality in post-ups, intimidating players by elbowing them in the chest and getting to his spots.

The LA Lakers legend wasn't a dirty player by any means, but he would often escape with some of these plays, which he probably viewed as loopholes and used to his benefit.