In the aftermath of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death, his former teammates, coaches, opponents, fans and celebrities have all come forth with their favorite memories and stories involving the late, great Laker legend. Among them, ‘Entourage’ cast members Jerry Ferrara and Kevin Connolly, who recently recalled a classic Kobe story from back in 2005 when they were filming at Staples Center.
Ferrara took to instagram during Sunday night’s NBA All Star Game to share the text message from Connolly, explaining how they won $800 from the Black Mamba all those years ago.
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According to the two actors, their Kobe encounter took place prior to a Lakers game in ’05, during the time when Bryant was recovery from an ankle sprain. Despite being in a walking boot, the Black Mamba was willing to bet Ferrara and Connolly that he could drain a left-handed shot from half court for $100. Bryant missed, offered to do double or nothing, then missed again before walking off the court.
As seen in the text messages shared by Ferrara, both he and Connolly felt that their interaction with Kobe was better than any money they might have won from the bet, so they didn’t even bring it up. To their surprise, a dude tapped them on the shoulder midway through the second quarter and handed them an envelope stuffed with eight $100 bills, from Kobe.
Check out their full recollection of events in the text messages embedded below.