The poker great got into a friendly battle of consumerism with the late basketball great
The late Kobe Bryant will live in the memories of all the people that admired him for his dedication to not only basketball, but for his passion for everything that he loved. He also thrived on competition and challenges; when it was needed, he was capable of elevating his game and never bringing it back down. His competitive spirit transcended beyond the basketball court, and he engaged in the craziest challenges as he was determined to be the best in everything. One of the most interesting stories that prove just how competitive Bryant was had poker champion Antonio Esfandiari involved.
The competition had nothing to do with poker – Bryant was just not into letting anyone outspend him. One night at the grand opening of the BLUSH Boutique Nightclub in Las Vegas, both “The Magician” and Bryant were present. At some point during the night, Bryant spotted Esfandiari buying two $1,400 bottles of Cristal champagne. According to what is considered an urban legend, Bryant responded by ordering five bottles for himself. Esfandiari is not one to enjoying losing either, and he immediately responded by upping the ante to ten bottles.
That wasn’t the end of this crazy champagne battle, as Bryant was not ready to quit. The multi-millionaire basketball player ordered 15 more bottles - for a total of $21,000 – and, not willing to let Esfandiari win this peculiar, very expensive fight for the most bottles of champagne, Bryant stormed out of the club in what looked like a real magic trick.
