We all know that Kobe Bryant didn’t have the most talent around him in the years following the departure of Shaquille Oneal…it goes without saying. Yet, reporters caught Kobe in a weak moment recently and he let it rip on some of his former teammates.
“I tell Steve, you won MVP but I was playing with Smush Parker,” Bryant said before the Lakers’ 93-75 exhibition loss Wednesday to the Portland Trail Blazers at Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario. “He’s playing with [Leandro] Barbosa. I’m playing with Smush and Kwame [Brown]. My goodness.”
“Smush Parker, with Tierre Brown as the backup,” said Bryant, laughing. “I’m taking 45 shots a game. What was I supposed to do, pass the ball in to Chris Mihm? Chris Mihm?”
Speaking of Kwame, Kobe added “I don’t know how he convinced Philadelphia to cough up $7 million a year…..They want to lock us out, but they’ll pay him $7 million.”
Since playing with the aforementioned guys Bryant has won two more NBA titles. He is now setting his sights on at least one more, maybe even two…..which makes these recent comments very strange. He has no reason to be bitter today, especially considering that Steve Nash didn’t even make it to the NBA Finals back in those days.
Speaking of point guards, Kobe added this hay-maker: “Smush Parker was the worst….He shouldn’t have been in the NBA, but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. We let him walk on.”
The Black Mamba has spent years rehabilitating his image…..a few more quotes like these, and he might as well check back into that hotel in Colorado.
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Hurting himself with who? Think he cares what people might think?
Two factors that could make life less stressful for Bryant in the coming years: Steve Nash and Dwight Howard.