Chandler Parsons: ‘Kobe Bryant paid me a $22,000 club bill… this dude was cool as f—‘

Chandler Parsons story on Kobe Bryant:  So my rookie year we’re playing in Staples Center. Kevin McHale pulls me aside and tells me ‘you’re gonna see crazy people, you’re gonna see celebrities there and Kobe is gonna try and bust your ass, like he’s gonna be offended you’re guarding him.’ First of all, I’m just looking at the court side. My head’s on a swivel, I’ve never seen this before, right? I’m like, goddamn, this is great. Denzel Washington is there, this chick is there… I’m already distracted. And of course I’m starting on Kobe. A little side note: Jordan Hill that year had got traded from Houston to LA. So the fourth quarter comes around and Kobe looks at me and he’s like, ‘are you guys staying the night tonight?’ And I’m like, making sure McHale is not looking at me and I’m like ‘yeah, what up? We’re staying.’ He goes, ‘I’ll set you up. I’ll get your number from Hill if you want to go out tonight’. McHale is over there grilling me like ‘stop talking to this motherf—–’. So he ends up going off, he scores like 40 that game and we lose. After the game we’re going to have dinner at the Katsuya LA Live. We’re with all the OGs, right? We’re with Marcus Camby and they’re all taking me out. I get a text that goes ‘You’re all set at Supper Club – Mamba’. And I’m like, looking around like ‘alright, who’s f—— with me?’ Like, no way. Courtney Lee was my guy and I’m like, showing him like, is this real? So I write him back. I’m like, are you coming? And he’s like ‘no, I can’t make it but my guy will hit you up’. Guy texts me ‘Hey, you’re set up, let me know what you need at Supper Club’, whatever.