Trump Confirms Rumor He Broke Up Kobe Bryant Elevator Fight

Donald Trump’s got a new close buddy in Jake Paul after endorsing him (despite Paul not running for office), and the two are following up that sweaty mess with an interview.

In the 27-minute sit-down, sports fans will be glad to know that he addresses the 90s rumor that he broke up a fight between Kobe Bryant and Jayson Williams.

It came up around the 2-minute mark after Paul asked him if he’d ever been in a fight himself, so he had to confirm the lore.

“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.”

The fight story originated with 10-time New York Times bestseller Jeff Pearlman in his 2020 book Three-Ring Circus: Kobe, Shaq, Phil, and the Crazy Years of the Lakers Dynasty.

He alleges that during the 1998 All-Star Game at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City, Trump was in an elevator with Kobe Bryant, Charles Oakley, and Jayson Williams. Williams approached Kobe, who was in his third year, and Williams felt he didn’t show enough respect. 

“Hey, Kobe,” Williams said.

“Bryant was listening to a Walkman, and while he heard the greeting, he merely shrugged and slurred, ‘Hey, big man,’ without looking up,” wrote Pearlman.

“Williams, a 6-foot-9, 240-pound veteran with a quick fuse and an abundance of pride, never liked Bryant from afar, and he certainly didn’t like the perceived disrespect. ‘Are you f-cking kidding me?’ he said. He then lunged at Bryant, landing a punch to his cheek.”

That’s when Trump broke up the fight by grabbing Bryant and telling him, “Get out of here. Quickly.”

The story isn’t too far-fetched, given Kobe’s cockiness (branded as Mamba Mentality) and Williams’ short temper, which culminated in him shooting and killing his limo driver in 2002.

See social media’s reaction to Trump telling his side of the story below.