Credit: Mikamote

Louisiana mogul and No Limit founder Master P is known as a powerhouse in hip-hop and is renowned as one of the first figures to make large amounts of money as a record executive. The label head has worked with the likes of Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal and Snoop Dogg. As such, he has a deep understanding of the record industry.

However, he has had his fair share of feuds, and on one occasion, he nearly got into a physical altercation with the late NBA star Kobe Bryant at the UCLA Health Training Center while the LA Lakers were practising in the off-season.

During a conversation with DJ Vlad for Vlad TV, Bryant’s teammate Lamar Odom, former husband to Khloe Kardashian, recalled when the No Limit founder walked into their training session looking for a fight and vividly detailed the awkwardness.

Recounting the “street” feel of the build-up, Odom told Vlad, “The aura, the energy or the timing of it, [Kobe] wasn’t really kinda feeling it. You gotta understand, these are two alpha males and their own, in with what they do. [It was] Awkward. You feel me? So, I’m from the street so I can peep it.”

Odom unveiled that he was the only player in the whole team who stepped up to stop Master P from assaulting Kobe, adding, “So, I’m tryin’ to just dead it, but it was awkward. It wasn’t, like, getting in the middle, but I’m just gonna check both of they temperatures and make sure they cool. I’m gonna use my Jamaica, Queens instinct. The energy was just off between them.”

Few know that Master P had a few NBA training camp stints himself in the 1990s as a pro-ball hopeful. However, to this day, it remains unclear what his problem with Bryant was. However, both he and Bryant have spoken about it before.

Furthermore, the bad blood between them wasn’t short-lived. In 2014, Lamar Odom was found unconscious in a Las Vegas brothel after overdosing on prescription drugs, which had an effect on his mobility and his focus. As such, it’s unsurprising that he stopped playing basketball. Unfortunately, he never returned.

But, following an outpouring of love from his former teammates, Master P lashed out at Kobe Bryant, calling him “phony”, insisting the late Lakers legend could have got Odom back into the NBA if he was a real friend.

In a 2015 interview with TMZ Sports, the Louisiana native stated, “I’m talking about Kobe! All this man [Odom] wanted to do was play basketball. Kobe was his friend, and he like owned the team. He could’ve got Lamar back on the team. Even in that situation, I think he was just searching for love. His biggest problem was where the people were at that he showed love to. It’s phony.”