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President Trump is no stranger to stepping into the fray, and this willingness extends beyond just international conflicts. Recently, he engaged in a lively conversation with Jake Paul, a YouTube sensation who has ventured into boxing and hinted at a future in politics. The meeting took place during a rally in Kentucky, where they discussed various topics, including Trump’s own history with physical altercations.
During their discussion, Paul posed an intriguing question to Trump about his personal experiences with fighting. This prompted the president to recount an intriguing anecdote involving a legendary brawl that featured several NBA icons, including the late Kobe Bryant.
As recounted by journalist Jeff Pearlman, the incident occurred during the NBA All-Star weekend in New York back in 1998. Trump found himself in an elevator with a star-studded cast: Kobe Bryant, renowned New York Knicks enforcer Charles Oakley, and Jayson Williams, a notable figure from the New Jersey Nets.
The altercation reportedly began when Williams took offense at Bryant’s lack of a proper greeting, a sign of respect that Williams evidently felt was due. At the time, Bryant was a rising star in the league, having only been in the NBA for two years, and was still establishing his presence among his peers.
The trouble began, reportedly, when Williams became irritated with Bryant for not greeting him in a respectable enough fashion. Bryant, who had only been in the league for two years, was a star, but still relatively new on the scene.
Williams got so angry that he swung at Bryant, and a fight ensued.
Despite the violent brawl between very large pro athletes in a confined space, or maybe because of it, Trump intervened to break up the fight.
“That was a long time ago. Yeah, well, I was breaking up a fight, which sometimes is more dangerous than being in a fight,” Trump said.
“But I like Kobe. Kobe was having a hard time with somebody, and it worked out fine. But yeah, I broke it up—probably not a smart thing to do. Historically, it’s never good to break up fights.”
Given who the combatants were in that elevator, Trump is entirely right to say that breaking up a fight can be more dangerous than being involved in one.