Kobe Bryant is many things, but perhaps the last one you’d consider him to be is a political soothsayer. And yet, a former teammate says he was just that when it came to the most recent presidential election.
Roy Hibbert appeared on The Watch podcast over at The Ringer and told a story about how he and Bryant would often talk politics while the two were Lakers teammates. In fact, Hibbert said that Kobe predicted that Donald Trump would become president well before election night.
“From the flight to L.A. to Philly, we would talk politics,” Hibbert said. “He was very insightful.”
Hibbert said while other players talk about more juvenile things, Kobe would talk about his investments and politics and his other businesses. And the way he tells it, Kobe might have a future in campaigning.
“One time, he was telling me that he thinks (Donald) Trump is going to win,” Hibbert said. “And I was like, ‘No way!’”
Kobe then broke down why he thinks Trump could do it, including some of the things that ultimately hurt Clinton in the election: not visiting certain states to campaign as heavily as she could have, and some of her strategies that worried him.
“He’s like ‘I want Hillary to win. But he broke it down, just like he analyzes the game or a play, he did that,” Hibbert said.
Still, Hibbert was skeptical.
“I was like ‘There’s no way the American people are going to vote this man in,’” he said.
We all know what happened that November, though. And Hibbert said Kobe remembered the conversation, even sending him a late-night text message that said “I told you so,” shortly after Trump declared victory.
As Hibbert correctly pointed out: Mamba knows all.
