Kobe Bryant Weighs In On The Double Team During Pick Up Drama And Essentially Shits All Over Devin Booker
Let me make myself perfectly clear and transparent. I hate Kobe. Can’t stand him. I’m still not over the bullshit that was the officiating in Game 3 of the 2010 Finals, and as a fan of his arch nemesis the hatred comes with the territory. Having said that, the one thing I respect about Kobe is his competitiveness. The Mamba Mentality if you will. Even if you absolutely hate the guy there’s no denying his accomplishments as one of the greats to play in the NBA. He’s a guy who you know was going to put in the work to become one of the best players in the league, and I certainly wouldn’t call him soft. He came from a different era, and in my opinion they don’t really make em like Kobe anymore. Just absolute psychos when it comes to the game of basketball.
Which is why it made perfect sense to get his thoughts on this summer’s hottest topic, double teaming someone in pick up basketball. We know Devin Booker hates it, some other NBA guys like Kevin Durant and Trae Young chimed in and supported Booker with this stance, and honestly I never saw the big deal. You’re working on your game, well when you’re an elite scorer facing double teams is shit that happens. Frankly I see it as a positive to have to get reps in dealing with that defense. So of course when asked about it, we got the perfect Kobe response. His answer wasn’t bullshit either in my opinion, that’s how Kobe’s brain works. I’d say Kobe is much closer to the Gilbert Arenas way of thinking where if they don’t double you, you should take that as a sign of disrespect. I guarantee Kobe didn’t throw a temper tantrum in a open run if he got doubled like what we saw unfold this summer, he probably begged to be doubled because he’s a maniac.
To be honest I would have been shocked if Kobe had any other answer than what he gave. I can’t imagine Darius Miles and Quentin Richardson expected anything different. This is the same man that hates load management and other signs of weakness, no way Kobe was going to say he hated double teams in pick up. It just goes to show you the difference in mindset in terms of Kobe and players today. He was a guy that truly was all about getting better, players today don’t want you to play defense so they can have some sweet highlights in order to go viral during the summer.
It pains me to say I ultimately agree with Kobe here. Still hate him though.