The biggest story in all of basketball yesterday was Henry Abbott’s article for ESPN The Magazine questioning whether Kobe Bryant is the reason for the Los Angeles Lakers’ downfall over the last few years.
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The article contained a number of quotes that painted Kobe in a negative light and was not well received by many. After tonight’s 114-108 loss to the Phoenix Suns, Bryant addressed the article for the first time, in a way that many would expect from Kobe via Lakers Nation reporter Serena Winters:
I had to ask Kobe Bryant about the @ESPN story…Kobe started with: "It's not the first one and won't be the last one. "
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 22, 2014
Kobe on bad/good stories: "Understand that it's a cycle and things are never as good or as bad as they seem in the moment in time."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 22, 2014
Kobe continued: "Stay focused on the big picture and things are never as bleak as they seem at the time, so I just kind of roll with it."
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) October 22, 2014
While Kobe is one to gain motivation from many sources, he has seemed to gain an understanding through the years of the way the media works. He has been the subject of articles both praising and criticizing him and to him, this is just another of many.
Bryant’s ego and attitude has been one of the major criticisms of him throughout his career, and is something that he has admitted and even embraced. At this point in his career, Bryant isn’t likely to change who he is, but he has been noticeably more patient with this young team, taking the time to teach his young teammates.
As he winds down his career, Kobe seems to be refusing to get riled up over the things that are said about him in the media, at least publicly. Though it wouldn’t be surprising to anyone if he was taking mental notes of everything.
[divide]Kobe Bryant On Lakers Identity Moving Forward, ‘Smashmouth Basketball’
