The Kobe Bryant-Matt Barnes No Flinch GIF Is Officially Ruined Thanks to the Overhead Angle
Do you remember the day you found out Santa Claus wasn't real?
Well, this moment is about to be 1,000 times worse than that.
On Sunday, March 7, 2010, the Los Angeles Lakers went to Orlando to play the Magic in a game that led to the creation of one of the best GIFs on the internet.
With eight minutes and 29 seconds remaining in the third quarter of that contest and the Magic holding a 59-55 lead, Matt Barnes walked to the baseline to inbound the ball under Orlando's basket. The Magic had just retained possession after the ball went out of bounds on a missed shot.
Kobe Bryant stood in front of Barnes on that baseline and when Barnes pump faked a pass near Bryant's face, the Laker legend kept his head in the same spot with his eyes locked on Barnes as he delivered one of the coldest mean mugs in the history of time.
It's classic tough-guy Kobe.
Or so we thought.
That tweet from Trey Kerby of NBA TV led to one of the most disappointing revelations the internet has ever encountered.
Turns out, Kobe wasn't standing in front of Barnes. He was actually on a slight angle to Barnes's right.
There are tons of great Kobe moments his stans love to point to, but the "No Flinch" can no longer be one of them.
Yes, the fearless look on Bryant's face and his unbothered reaction to the whole situation still look awesome from the standard angle, but now that we know the truth, it will never feel the same. And it doesn't help that he's also stepping to his left as Barnes pump fakes.
Oh, and the Lakers lost that game 96-94 after Kobe missed a game-tying shot attempt in the final seconds.
