Devean George was a rookie on the 2000 Los Angeles Lakers title team. He stuck around for six more years in Tinseltown as a seldom-used backup and got two more chips in ‘01 and ‘02. But if you think he’s fortunate to be in such a situation, think again. Championship teams, especially with Kobe Bryant in it, did not take days off.
George fondly recalled receiving the brunt of Kobe’s tough love in his first year. The Augsburg College alum did not understand it initially but eventually appreciated the Black Mamba’s hard-nosed mentoring.
“When I joined the Lakers in 1999, I thought Kobe hated me. We were about the same age, but he was the rising star … and I was just the rook from a small D-III school,” George said on The Players’ Tribune.
“Everyone knew Kobe liked to test the rookies. I’m not sure if he still does, but he used to do that all of the time. I remember getting in drills as a rookie — the first couple practices. Coach paired me and another guy up, but all of a sudden I turned my head and I’m going against Kobe. It’d be a ball dribbling … and all of a sudden Kobe’s on me. Or a one-on-one drill … Kobe’s there. So I’m like, “What the hell? This dude doesn’t like me or what?” recalled the Minnesota native.
Kobe singled out Devean
George was one of a few Division III athletes to make it in the NBA. He was an Auggies legend and held several school records. At 6'8", he was pretty tall for a small forward, and that was it. Still, Devean had no idea why Kobe kept singling him out.
“Pretty soon, it got to the point where Kobe would start every scrimmage by walking up to me and saying, 'You … you guard me,'” George remembered. “This went on the whole first year. We battled and battled.”
When you go up against one of the league’s most dynamic players every day in practice, the only direction for you to go is up. The five-time champion probably saw something in George and used the practice sessions to simultaneously sharpen his and the rookie’s skills.
Devean was never more than a backup throughout his career; however, he was always a steady hand, a hustler, and relied upon to do the dirty work.
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'He fought for my contract'
Here’s a little-known fact: Only Bryant played more games than Devean George for the Lakers from 1999 to 2006. If it hadn’t been for the 2008 MVP, George would have been long gone.
“A couple years later, when my contract was up and the Lakers had an option to re-sign me, I wasn’t sure I would get called back. Kobe was the one who went to bat for me. He stood up for me and helped get me back on the team. Of course, he didn’t hate me. He wanted to test me. He wanted to make me better, and make himself better. I’m grateful to him for that,” George concluded.
George made around $800,000 annually in his first three years. After the three-peat, he re-upped for a four-year, $21 million deal, thanks to Bryant . He played out the rest of the contract and signed with the Mavericks in 2006. Devean finished his career in Golden State as a veteran locker room presence for a young Steph Curry.
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