Kobe Bryant has been the face of the Los Angeles Lakers for more than a decade, but at this point in his career it is apparent that he doesn’t have many more years left and the Lakers need to prepare for life after Kobe.
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The Lakers have always been about star players and the team will be doing everything to get their next big star to take over once Kobe’s career is over. Milwaukee Bucks forward Jared Dudley, however, told ESPN that he believes most players don’t want to play with Kobe, as transcribed by SportsGrid:
Most guys don’t want to play with Kobe. He gets in this thing where he doesn’t pass and then overpasses and then trying to get triple doubles every night, so we know you have it…
“That’s why I think it will be a while for the Lakers to get good because they’ve got no stars. I would be surprised if (Kevin) Love goes there.”
This isn’t the first time something like this has been said about Kobe. Last year, ESPN published a report saying the same thing, though many players disputed that notion. Lakers President Jeanie Buss also made it known how the organization feels about those who wouldn’t want to play with Kobe.
For all of the faults that people bring up about Kobe, some of which are warranted, the fact still remains that he is a five-time NBA Champion and is widely considered one of the 10 greatest players to ever play the game. Some may not want to play, but many others would likely love to learn from one of the best ever.
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