Kobe Bryant once famously said that he expected Mike Brown to be “a pushover” based on previous reputation, but that he was pleased to quickly discover that was not the case.

This was early in the 2011-12 season, Brown’s first with the Lakers after spending five years coaching LeBron James with the Cavaliers, including one trip to the NBA Finals.

When Brown publicly called out Bryant — a five-time NBA champion and former league MVP — for a defensive mistake following one December defeat, Kobe shrugged and made it clear he was on board with such criticism.

“What I’ve heard about him was he was a pushover, he doesn’t say what he’s thinking and all this other sorts of stuff. I haven’t seen that at all,” Bryant said. “He’s been the complete opposite. He’s been detail-oriented, he’s been up front and open and honest. He praises guys when they do well, he jumps on them when they’re messing up right away.