Kobe Bryant took a shot at Mark Cuban after his Los Angeles Lakers beat the Dallas Mavericks 103-99 Sunday. He sent a succinct yet powerful tweet following his 38-point performance:
Amnesty THAT
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013
Bryant isn’t always efficient on the court, but he sure as heck was with that tweet. Two words, one sick burn.
Bryant’s tweet came in response to Cuban saying on Friday that the new salary cap rules are so harsh that the Lakers theoretically could consider releasing Kobe via the amnesty provision. The Lakers were upset with the Mavericks owner for making the remarks, while Kobe responded that Cuban was saying that so he could slyly pick up Kobe if the guard became available.
Cuban defended his comments by saying they were just hypothetical, though he did admit that he would never do it with Dirk Nowitzki, who, as a franchise icon and champion, holds a similar value for Dallas as Kobe does for the Lakers.
Clearly the remarks stuck in Bryant’s mind and motivated him Sunday. He went off for 38 points, 12 rebounds, and 7 assists, two days after he scored 40 in a win over Portland.
Bryant was locked in for the fourth quarter. He re-entered the game with 9:06 left and made three straight tough shots. He went 5-for-5 in the fourth quarter and 3-of-4 at the line, and you could tell he wasn’t going to lose that game.
At 34 years old, Kobe is looking for anything to keep him motivated. He can thank Cuban for providing him with some fuel the past few days.
As for Cuban, well, he handled Kobe’s taunt quite well:
Nice to know there is a least one team and theirplayers, outside of the Mavs, that listen to everything I say.
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 24, 2013
But I do have to give props to @kobebryant for a great tweet. #Welldone.
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 24, 2013
It’s not the first time Cuban’s mouth has gotten him in trouble, and it won’t be the last. We can thank the two of them for giving the game an added element of interest.
