The Los Angeles Lakers and the San Antonio Spurs have been two of the most successful franchises in recent memory and they have combined for ten championships since 1999. Even though the Lakers are sitting at the bottom of the Western Conference, while the Spurs are right near the top, there is no denying the allure of both franchises.
On Friday night, the Spurs paid a visit to the Lakers at Staples Center on the 10th anniversary of Kobe Bryant’s 81 point performance. San Antonio, not surprisingly, won the game by double-digits and walked off the court winners, 108-95.
However, after the game Kobe Bryant spoke to the media and in his midst of his own retirement tour, he showed his appreciation for Tim Duncan, via Ryan Ward of Examiner:
Kobe Bryant calls Tim Duncan the “ultimate professional”
— Ryan Ward (@RyanWardLA) January 23, 2016
Duncan is considered the greatest power forward of all-time and his consistency throughout his career is something to marvel at. The big man from Wake Forest came in with a lot of expectations and he lived up to all of them. Just like Bryant, Duncan has five NBA championships and it looks very possible that he adds in another one before leaving the game.
The Lakers will be back on the court Saturday night when they travel up to Portland to go up against long time conference rivals, the Trail Blazers. Bryant has had great memories playing the Trail Blazers on the road and he will get another opportunity to do so tonight.
Los Angeles currently stands at 9-36 and will look to grab their tenth win in front of a hostile Portland crowd. The team is dealing with some injuries and they hope to get back rookie Larry Nance Jr. back in the starting lineup as soon as possible.