Kobe Bryant says he would call Buss family and tell them to cut any Laker who doubts the team

Kobe Bryant has a cutthroat attitude on and off the court. We already knew that. He wants all of his Los Angeles Lakers teammates playing hard and constantly believing that they can win a championship.

But how much sway does Kobe have within the Los Angeles Lakers organization? Enough to get a player cut?

Bryant was a guest on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” early Friday morning. He was asked how his teammates reacted to his guarantee last month that the Lakers would make the playoffs despite being 4.5 games out of the last spot.

“If anybody in that locker room would have said, ‘Well, I don’t know if we’re going to make it,’ I would have called the Buss family and said, ‘Cut this guy right now!’ Get him outta there!'” Bryant said with much laughter.

Ordinarily we would have dismissed the statement as a total joke, but this sounds like something Kobe actually would do. You remember when he said the Lakers should “ship [Andrew Bynum’s] ass out” if it meant acquiring Jason Kidd in a trade? Yeah, Kobe may have been joking, but he was also probably serious. The only question is whether the front office — and Buss family — would listen.

Bryant also told Kimmel that his career is coming to an end “soon” and that he is not going to another team.

“It’s coming to an end and I’m happy it’ll be with a Lakers uniform,” said Bryant.

This post would not be complete without sharing a photo of the leopard shoes Kobe was sporting:

Below is part two of the interview: