Kevin Durant isn’t buying all of the stories about Kobe Bryant costing the Los Angeles Lakers top free agents because of his attitude.
In a recent interview with Sam Amick of USA Today, Durant said he would be perfectly content playing alongside Kobe. And to those who claim Bryant has deterred quality players from signing with the Lakers, Durant offered a very clear message.
“Excuse my language, but that’s (expletive),” the Oklahoma City Thunder star said. “I want to play with a winner every single night, especially somebody who wants to win that bad, who works that hard, who demands a lot, who raises up your level. I’d want to play with a guy like that every day.
“(His style) may make people uncomfortable, how he acts and just how he approaches the game, but I love that type of stuff. I think (the accusation) is BS.”
Durant was referring to an October article from ESPN the Magazine that basically blamed Kobe for the recent downfall of the Lakers. While it’s obvious Bryant didn’t get along with Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal, there have been plenty of others — Pau Gasol for one — who have thrived alongside Kobe.
“He doesn’t mind being an (expletive), and he comes to work man,” Durant added. “He’s intense. He demands a lot out of his teammates, and I’ve seen that just playing alongside him in the Olympics (in 2012). He demands a lot out of everybody. He makes them better. Everybody out on the court. You’ve got to respect that.”
We recently saw how hard Kobe can be on his teammates during practice when he ripped them for being soft like a certain brand of toilet tissue. For what it’s worth, the Lakers won their next two games — including an overtime victory over the defending champion San Antonio Spurs.
Paul George was said to be one of the players who didn’t want to play with Kobe, but he later blasted the report.
A lot of this comes down to personality. Plenty of athletes get along with one another and plenty don’t. Kobe isn’t really an exception either way.
