As a part of a special episode of the ‘Grantland Basketball Hour’, Kobe Bryant was the special guest of Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose for the show and he just let it all air out during the mail bag segment.
He talked about not changing one thing about being Dwight Howard’s teammate despite their tumultuous relationship that still continues years later.
He discusses the reason why he didn’t win more than one regular season MVP and how it still bothers him but how he feels about it now comes with very good reasoning.
They talked to him about his dominance with Shaquille O’Neal and what it could’ve been throughout the 2000’s. Kobe also discusses why it didn’t work along with some issues he has with Karl Malone.
Kobe Bryant talks about a trade that got squashed to the Detroit Pistons in 2007 that, according to Bryant, would’ve included Tayshaun Prince, Richard ‘Rip’ Hamilton and draft picks going to the Lakers for Bryant. This was during the time that Kobe was done with the Lakers, wanted a trade and he even says his number one choice was the Chicago Bulls.
Finally, in a second segment entitled ‘Keeping It 100’, Jalen Rose and Kobe Bryant talk about the famous 2000 finals incident when Jalen Rose injured Bryant by stepping under him when Kobe went up for a jumpshot while Rose defended him.
Kobe explained how he got the last laugh years later when he dropped 81 on Jalen Rose’s Toronto Raptors.