The Los Angeles Lakers have a new coach in Mike D’Antoni and he is anxious to start a new chapter in his NBA career. D’Antoni will coach his first game for the Lakers on Friday according to Arash Markazi, and he is looking forward to leading this talented roster to top of the NBA.
D’Antoni spoke to Ryan Seacrest on 102.7 KIIS-FM and he discussed his future with the Los Angeles Lakers. D’Antoni touched upon many different topics including his goal to win a championship and the opportunity to coach Kobe Bryant. The former Knicks coach praised Bryant and considers him the “greatest talent” in the NBA.
D’Antoni: “I’ve known Kobe forever, since he was 12 years old. He’s the greatest talent we have in the game.”
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 13, 2012
Kobe Bryant idolized D’Antoni growing up in Italy as he was one of the best players in Italian basketball history. Those two have also met many times in the postseason and they worked together during the Summer Olympics. Bryant has welcomed D’Antoni with open arms and he expressed his happiness with the Lakers decision to hire him.
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However, at this point the two have mot talked after the hiring. D’Antoni will be making his Lakers debut very soon, so expect Kobe and him to sit down some time in the near future.
D’Antoni has not talked to Kobe yet. “I’m not a big phone person.”
— Arash Markazi (@ArashMarkazi) November 13, 2012
The Lakers were expected to hire Phil Jackson at first, but with the track record of D’Antoni and his incredible offensive schemes, the Lakers should be contending for a championship no matter what.
