Kobe Bryant Reveals the Toughest Defender He Ever Faced

As Kobe Bryant's career winds down to its conclusion, he has been showing respect to opponents by giving them a piece of memorabilia following each game. Last night, the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 112-95, and afterwards, Kobe Bryant gave Grizzlies guard Tony Allen a special gift.

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Bryant gave Allen a pair of basketball shoes. He has offered up his sneakers before, but this time he wrote an inscription on them. The message states, "To Tony, the best defender I ever faced!" This is a huge compliment, since Kobe has faced several great defenders over his 20-year career.

Allen tweeted out a photo of the shoes with the hashtag #respect. Recognized as one of the best defenders ever to have played the game, Allen was a First Team NBA All-Defensive selection three times. But this compliment from The Black Mamba will certainly stand out as one of his career highlights.

Check out the tweet and sneakers below:

Salute @kobebryant #Respectpic.twitter.com/vq60gu8XHb

— Tony Allen (@aa000G9) February 27, 2016

Photo Credit: Getty Images // Thinkstock