Kobe Bryant once took his helicopter to Las Vegas, spoiled his Lakers teammates

Kobe Bryant stories tend to be pretty extraordinary, and former Los Angeles Lakers guard Andrew Goudelock decided to share one that might be one of the best Mamba tales yet. Goudelock -- who the Lakers selected with the 46th pick in the 2011 NBA Draft -- reflected on a time when Kobe took the Mambacopter to the top of the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas and spoiled his fellow purple and gold teammates, via David Pick of Basketball Insiders:

"Kobe took the Lakers during preseason to the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas and bought the whole top floor for the team," Goudelock recalled. "He met us there with his helicopter and was spending all kinds of money on us and let us ball out for the night."

The private helicopter has become a staple in the off-court lore of Kobe being Kobe, even using it to help transport teammates to the doctor's appointments. It's pretty fun to picture the Black Mamba sitting in his hovering helicopter while dropping Rolex's down to his fellow teammates. Sounds like it's not all bad over in Los Angeles, Jared Dudley.

The profile on Goudelock is actually a fascinating read, as there was a stretch of time when the sharpshooter who's been tearing up the Turkish league on a two-year, $3.8 million contract was a stone the Lakers were turning. He's done well for himself, even claiming the Euroleague's record for most made three's in a single game (10-of-13). Andrew gushed about Kobe, giving him credit for building his confidence and pushing him to be his absolute best, via Pick:

Bryant was so aggressive and demanding because he wanted Goudelock to reach his full potential. Bryant was drawn to the young guard because he recognized a similar Mamba-esque demeanor in Goudelock.

"Kobe gave me the ‘Mini Mamba' nickname and would encourage me to perform with confidence, almost to the point where I was cocky about my game," Goudelock said. "He could tell I had a passion for the game, it was almost an unspoken understanding. Sometimes players didn't take certain shots during a game and Kobe would turn to me like, ‘Only you and I would have taken that shot.'"

The entire profile is fascinating, as Goudelock delves into what he's learned about the NBA from a business standpoint, and how he's adjusted. #GlockDrop was a cult favorite and it's nice to hear he's doing well overseas. And yes, he's got a pretty fun mixtape on YouTube to reminisce over: