President Trump has never shied away from a confrontation, whether on the global stage or closer to home.
During a recent rally in Kentucky, Trump sat down with Jake Paul, the YouTuber-turned-boxer-and-aspiring-politician, for a conversation that touched on various topics, including the president’s own history with physical altercations.
Paul posed the question to Trump about whether he had been in a fight before, prompting Trump to recount a legendary tale involving himself and 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 in 1998. Trump found himself in an elevator with Bryant, the formidable Charles Oakley of the Knicks, and Jayson Williams, a notable player from the New Jersey Nets.
The altercation reportedly ignited when Williams took offense at what he perceived as an insufficiently respectful greeting from Bryant, who was still relatively new to the league despite his budding stardom.
Tempers flared, and Williams lashed out at Bryant, sparking a scuffle that Trump found himself in the midst of.
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.
