Henry Abbott of ESPN recently came out and reported that no one wants to go to Los Angeles to play with the Lakers because of Kobe Bryant.
Abbott said the following in the article.
Dwight Howard is one of the most famous examples. Sure, Kobe participated in Howard’s meeting with the Lakers during free agency, but it didn’t exactly go well. Abbott:
Kupchak, Howard’s closest ally on the team, prepped the Lakers’ pitch. One big point: Listen carefully. Another: Dress appropriately. “Our approach,” a Lakers source explained at the time, “is that we are interviewing for the job. We want to show that this is a place his dreams can come true.”
As the Lakers’ contingent settled into the conference room’s ergonomic chairs, it was clear that two-time MVP point guard Steve Nash, in a nice crisp shirt, listening attentively, was running Kupchak’s game plan. But Bryant showed up, according to a person in the room, in “hoops shorts, a T-shirt and a gold chain.” He had also packed an attitude.
When Howard asked why his teammates let the injured center take all the flak when the Lakers’ season went south, Nash said he didn’t know that Howard had felt that way and that had he known, he would have acted differently. Bryant, on the other hand, offered a crash course in developing thick skin and a mini lecture on learning how to win. Sources told ESPN Insider Chris Broussard that Bryant’s lecture was “a complete turnoff” for Howard.
Here’s Kobe’s reaction to NBCLosAngeles.
Kobe being Kobe.
