NBA Rumors: Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon Were Standouts at Kobe Bryant Camp
Denver Nuggets point guard Jamal Murray and Orlando Magic forward Aaron Gordon excelled at a late August minicamp hosted by former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant at his Mamba Sports Academy in Thousand Oaks, California, per The Athletic's Sam Amick.
"The two standout players, according to a source, were Murray and Gordon, who fired off a series of 'ridiculous' dunks in the scrimmages and drills," Amick wrote.
The invite-only camp, known as the Mamba Sports Pro Invitational, was arranged by Bryant and Lakers assistant Phil Handy. It featured a list of notable NBA players that included new Los Angeles Clippers teammates Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, as well as Brooklyn Nets point guard Kyrie Irving.
A few NBA players were even turned away, per Amick:
"With Bryant and Handy deciding to keep the list tight, a source with knowledge of the situation said there were current NBA players who desperately wanted to be there who were turned away. For this generation, it seems clear, he's their Michael Jordan. And judging by the feedback on the inaugural affair, this will become the annual place where he tries to help them get better."
Camp sessions were led by development coaches, including Clippers assistant Jeremy Castleberry and Golden State Warriors assistant Aaron Miles.
Amick offered some insight into what went down during the "grueling" camp sessions, which lasted from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.:
"Bryant went old-school, rolling out a whiteboard and deconstructing schemes with a black dry erase marker. The group intended to do video work, but instead focused solely on the whiteboard and recreating the discussed scenarios in the half-court. Most of the on-court work was individual skill-related drills, with some light scrimmaging, 3-on-2s and 1-on-1s.
"The players also tested in the Mamba Sports Academy's cognition lab, which analyzes spatial awareness, reflex speed and the ability to compute information. Players were put through baseline testing and training, which featured headphones and used iPads. Irving and Gordon recorded the best reflexes, according to sources."
As Amick noted, it's possible Bryant has "as much—if not more—pull than any other retired NBA player." For example, Murray "was an absolute sponge who wanted to hear everything Bryant had to say."
According to Amick, NBA players also reach out to Bryant about free-agency moves as well as for insight on their games.
It's possible more pros will be able to solicit advice from Bryant firsthand next season, as the future Hall of Famer is considering making the Mamba Sports Pro Invitational an annual event, per Amick.
