When it comes to Kobe Bean Bryant, nothing surprises me! Kobe was recently asked whether or not he is a good friend and he basically says aint no friends in basketball bih! LOL!
Not getting along with team mates is not really uncommon amongst any athlete on any level. When you are competing for a common goal, sometimes stress can build and heads can clash. That is completely healthy in the sports world.
However, ESPN’s Jemele Hill asked Kobe about being a good friend and his response was that its basketball over friendships! Again, coming from Kobe, this does not surprise me and makes me think that this could translate off the court as well. His exact words were, “Friends come and go, banners hang forever,” and after being a decorated champion like the Black Mamba, how could you expect anything less?
Kobe has a documented history of clashing with team mates and the biggest one–in more ways than one–was probably Shaq. To this day, the two still don’t seem to get along because you can catch either one taking shots at the other here and there. Kobe is entering what could be his final season and it looks like he wants to make it count!
The newly drafted rookies should not count on Kobe befriending them and I think they should just try to soak up as much greatness as they possibly can because, this is most likely the last ride for the Mamba. Kobe was quoted saying that he isn’t “Benjamin Button” hinting at him not getting any younger as the years go by. It will definitely be a sad day when we can’t watch him hoop anymore and we’ve already gotten a glimpse of what that will be like since he has been injured for the past two seasons and his team hasn’t made the playoffs either.
Source: ESPN
