Kobe Bryant played down a report suggesting that the veteran superstar is the reason why the Los Angeles Lakers have not enjoyed success over the past several years.
When asked about the ESPN The Magazine article that talked about how Bryant became the reason of Lakers' downfall, the 36-year-old superstar said that he doesn't care about it, saying that he is already used to different media reports about him after playing 19 years in the league.
"One thing I've come to understand over the years is that you'll have a bad story that comes out on a Monday and it seems like it's the end of the world and it seems like everybody's taking shots at you," Bryant said via ESPN Los Angeles. "But time goes by and then you look back on it and it was just a Monday. Then you have another great story that comes out maybe a month later, or something like that, and it's a fantastic story."
Bryant, who only played in six games last season after sustaining a knee fracture, knows that most people are already counting the Lakers out, but he reiterated that he is focused on their campaign and not about what analysts are saying about their team.
"Stay focused on the bigger picture and things are never as bleak as they seem at the time," Bryant said. "I just kind of roll with it."
One player agent was quoted as saying that he had clients before who doesn't like to play alongside Bryant because of several reasons, including how the veteran is criticizing his teammates publicly.
"I've had a lot of clients in the last five years, good players, who didn't want to play with Kobe," the player agent was quoted as saying. "They see that his teammates become the chronic public whipping boys. Anyone who could possibly challenge Kobe for the spotlight ends up becoming a pincushion for the media. Even Shaq."
New Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin came into Bryant's defense, heaping positive remarks about the 16-time All-Star based on how Bryant is helping him in training camp.
"I've said it from the very beginning: What I've seen, my personal experience with him, which is the only thing I can speak on, it's been great," Lin said. "From Day 1, from the minute I was traded until now, it's just been constantly him trying to be a leader, being a good leader, a communicator, teaching me, teaching me, teaching me and doing it in a mentorship-type way."
