A widely derided story this week about Kobe Bryant touched a nerve with seemingly everyone but The Black Mamba himself.
Paul George said it was nonsense, Laker fans were naturally apoplectic that their superstar was being blamed for the franchise’s current struggles , and even Bryant’s former coach Phil Jackson came to his defense.
“@flea333: henry abbott your @espn kobe article is absolute garbage and a blatant irresponsible attack. “Go get’em, Flea
— Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11) October 21, 2014
Kobe says the criticism is all part of the silly game one must play with the media.
Per the LA Daily News:
“It’s not the first one and it won’t be the last one,” Bryant said following the Lakers’ 114-108 preseason loss to the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday at Honda Center. “One thing I’ve come to understand over the years is you’ll have a bad story that comes out on a Monday and it seems like the end of the world. It seems like everybody is taking shots at you. Time goes by and when you look back on it, and it’s just a Monday. Then you have another great story that comes out a month later. It’s a fantastic story. Then there’s a bad story that comes out a month after that.”
“You have to understand it’s a cycle and things are never as good or as bad as they seem in the moment in time,” Bryant said. “Stay focused on the big picture. Things are never as bleak as they seem at the time. I just roll with it.”
“My personal experience, which is the only thing I can speak on, has been great,” said Lakers guard Jeremy Lin, who arrived here this offseason via a trade from the Houston Rockets. “From day one of the minute I was traded until now, it’s constant of him trying to be a good leader and communicator. It’s teaching me, teaching me, and teaching me and doing it in a mentorship type way. That’s my experience. I can’t speak on it for anybody else.”
