As an 18-year-old rookie, he never played the role of a little brother on the team, but instead carried an attitude of "I’m definitely going to be the boss, it’s just a matter of time," which gradually made him even less likable.
Moreover, as a black player, Kobe was not black at all. His upbringing and family environment dictated that he and most black players who grew up poor, with absent fathers and many siblings, were from two different worlds.
In terms of "not being black," he was even more obvious than Michael Jordan. Jordan was born to a middle-class family and could be considered part of a traditional black cultural household.
Kobe was different; he grew up in Italy, and besides basketball, he also liked playing soccer. He was proficient in Italian and spoke multiple languages, his habits were more like a European, vastly different from North American blacks.
So disregarding skin color, Kobe seemed more like a European player in the NBA, naturally out of place with black players.
Riddle was a typical black player with a troubled background, from the slums, raised in filthy and chaotic neighborhoods.
At the Trail Blazers, he was suppressed by Gan Guoyang and Bird. Being able to train on time every day was already the most disciplined year of his life.
In the competition with Kobe, at first, he managed to suppress his temper.
You know, young people, a bit arrogant and presumptuous is totally normal.
As time went on, his dissatisfaction with Kobe grew because this young man was just too damn arrogant.
Of course, behind the scenes, he was also driven by the anxiety of being chased and possibly replaced by Kobe.
The conflicts between the two in training were mounting, and the intensity of these conflicts was escalating.
On February 4th, the last game before the All-Star game, the Trail Blazers were away to challenge the Chicago Bulls.
This game was the Bulls’ revenge for the last match where they were decisively defeated, and also the precursor to Gan Guoyang and Jordan’s All-Star contention.
In the morning, the entire Trail Blazers team trained at the Chicago Stadium, because they were up against the Bulls and Jordan that night, Kobe was very excited.
Van Exel, who had a decisive performance in the last game against the Bulls, was absent from this game due to an elbow injury.
Bird informed Kobe that he would get more playtime in this game, and in the role of Point Guard.
Terry Porter showcased both offensive and defensive aging this season, and against strong opponents like the Bulls, Bird preferred to use fresh troops.
Kobe, of course, had no problem and was itching to try. During training, he said to Riddle: "When I get on the court, let me handle Jordan, you take on the Point Guard."
In the last home game against the Bulls, Kobe had asked Riddle to defend Pippen, while he took care of Jordan, which Riddle accepted gladly.
Because defending Jordan was tough work, nobody wanted to match up with Jordan throughout the game, and if someone was willing to take over, they naturally agreed.
But now, the situation changed. When Riddle heard Kobe directing him like this, he felt a burst of anger.
You’re a rookie, and you’re bossing me around? You’re handling Jordan, and sending me to the Point Guard, looking down on me?
Riddle snorted, and said: "When did you become the coach, Kobe? Just do your own thing. Last time you defended Jordan, I wouldn’t have known if you did."
Riddle’s words touched Kobe’s nerves, but Kobe didn’t argue, he replied sternly: "I’m defending because my defense is better than yours, it’s just that simple."
"Screw you, I could easily beat you, don’t even talk about better defense than me."
"Come on, you don’t even defend, you have no defensive attitude, you can’t defend, you’re a softie, not fit to defend Jordan."
Kobe didn’t back down, speaking with no restraint, instantly angering Riddle.
Riddle rushed forward, grabbed Kobe by the collar, and the two began scuffling on the sidelines.
Being from the streets, Riddle had a strong build and took the initiative, flipping Kobe onto the ground.
Although Kobe had the height and reach advantage, he was too skinny to fight, and he only knew how to play ball without any fighting skills.
Kobe was pinned to the ground by Riddle and took two punches to the face, this was when teammates swarmed in to pull them apart.
Frustrated and angered, Kobe got up and charged at Riddle with a swinging fist trying to reclaim his pride, but was blocked by teammates.
Bird kept whistling to stop the two, sternly reprimanding Riddle and Kobe, deciding to strip Kobe and Riddle of their playtime in tonight’s game.
Kobe was visibly defiant, but facing Bird he didn’t dare refute, because though Bird cared for Kobe, he was also extremely strict and disciplinary.
Even Gan Guoyang would comply with Bird’s instructions and follow team rules at crucial moments, without abusing his own privileges.
Thus, Kobe and Riddle were both excluded from the rotation for this game, limiting the available players for the Trail Blazers even further.
Seeing Kobe and Riddle both holding back a lot of anger, Gan Guoyang suggested to Bird: "Larry, why not let them resolve the conflict through basketball. The old rule, one-on-one."
Bird thought about it and found it reasonable; rather than letting them stew, why not take this opportunity to resolve it all at once.
The fight was definitely not just because of today’s verbal altercation, but due to an accumulation of previous conflicts.
Kobe, as a newbie, was arrogant, overly confident, with low emotional intelligence, causing resentment from veteran players.
Riddle wasn’t much better, lacking collective consciousness, being undisciplined, unsatisfactory in attitudes towards training and games, failing to earn young players’ respect.
On the basketball court, skill matters the most, so since there’s a conflict, it might as well be settled through a showdown, let’s vent the frustration, and after that, neither is allowed to retaliate.