Kobe Bryant Reveals He Pumps His Own Gas, Says He And Wife Share Humor

The Black Mamba must be trying to forge a new nice guy image! In an interview this week Kobe Bryant shares a few anecdotes about his private life with Vanessa that shed some light about his personality.

We’re got the best excerpts from hisESPN interview here:

When was the last time you pumped your own gas?

Yesterday. I do all of life’s daily tasks. The other day my wife and I stopped at 7-Eleven and I pulled up to the pump and I started to pump some gas. She went inside to buy something and was waiting in line. The guy in front of her sees me outside but doesn’t see her. He says, “Man, there’s Kobe Bryant pumping his own gas.” My wife says to the guy, “He wipes his own a$$, too.”

She came back out and we had a big laugh about it. We both have the same sense of humor when it comes to stuff like that. But, yeah, I do the same things as everyone else.

Do you have a thrill-seeking personality?

[Smiles big.] Unfortunately, I do. I’d love to go skydiving when I’m done playing. I might jump back on the bike too. It’s about the challenge of overcoming the fear. If I’m afraid of something that only makes me want to do it more.

What do you Google?

Fourth-grade math problems when I’m helping my daughter. And if I can’t figure something else out, then I’ll look it up. But other than that I really don’t Google anything.

Ever Google yourself?

No. Why? I know everything there is to know about me. I know some celebrities are into that, but that’s not me. Some of them even have alerts sent to them.

Why have you only won one MVP?

Because I played with Shaq. It’s that simple. A lot of the time we cancelled each other out. I sacrificed a lot playing with him. I really did. I did it for the success of the team. If I never played with him, my numbers would have been ridiculous.

What do you do when you can’t sleep?

Sometimes I take an Ambien. But if my mind is racing, I may get up and do something. The other night I was in my hotel room and couldn’t sleep, so I got up and went across the street to see “Django [Unchained].”

What did you think?

It was genius. Absolutely incredible. Everything by Quentin Tarantino usually is, but this took it to another level. It’s the way he tells a story and the kind of characters he creates. It was crazy violent, but the story is so strong and that’s what you remember.

What’s your favorite commercial you’ve ever been in?

The Kobe System campaign was great. It was really smart and funny and turned out well. Working with Kanye West and Richard Branson was a lot of fun. Also, definitely the Black Mamba Nike spot that Robert Rodriquez did. I loved seeing how he worked and put things together. “Desperado” is one of my favorite movies.

Who would play you in a movie about your life?

I don’t know. That’s a tough one.

What about Samuel Jackson? You cuss like him.

[Sheepish smile.] That would be something. [Does a brief PG-rated Sam Jackson impression.]

What would happen if you tried to grow your hair out again?

It would be a struggle. It would be awfully thin up front. There would be a two-month period where people would look at me like, what the f— is going on. It would just be messed up.

What’s your biggest pet peeve?

I hate dog s—. I won’t go near it. So pissed when I step in it. I’ve got four dogs and I just don’t do dog doo. I’m a diva when it comes to that. Back in the day when I was in Italy, I used to order shoes from Nike all the time. I had to have all the fresh joints. I ordered the Elephant Print Jordans that were amazing. I went to the park to play and stepped in a huge pile of dog s—. You wouldn’t believe how mad I was. I was breaking off sticks to try to get it out of the crevices. I smacked them together and scraped the soles on the curb but couldn’t get it all out. Ever since that day I just can’t stand dog crap.

So what are you going to do with the rest of your day?

I gotta catch a fishing boat. I’m taking my daughters fishing. It’s daddy time.

Did this interview make you like Kobe more? We enjoyed the personal stories — but he gets the side-eye for blaming Shaq for not having “ridiculous” numbers.