Is Kobe Bryant the reason big-name free agents don't want to play for the Los Angeles Lakers? Henry Abbott of ESPN The Magazine cited a number of anonymous NBA agents and Lakers insiders as saying Bryant is the reason the Lakers are no longer an attractive destination for free agents, which has caused the purple-and-gold to deteriorate into a lottery-pick team.
Bryant is one of the greatest Lakers and remains one of the NBA's biggest draws. He's also, according to Abbott, the reason nobody wants to play for the Lakers.
"(Bryant), say sources both in and around the Lakers' organization, (is) the primary reason the team has fallen so mightily," Abbott wrote Monday.
According to Abbott, the biggest problem with Bryant is the future Hall of Famer's insistence on doing it his way and allowing his teammates to take all the blame.
"I've had a lot of clients in the last five years, good players, who didn't want to play with Kobe," an agent who had a number of NBA stars told ESPN. "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."
In his article, Abbott refers to ex-Lakers Andrew Bynum and Dwight Howard as examples of players who didn't get along with Bryant. In Bynum's instance, he was unhappy with how the Lakers' front office didn't reign Bryant in; in Howard's, he was unhappy with taking the blame for the team's struggles during the 2012-13 season.
Abbott also reported Bryant's pitch to Howard to re-sign with Los Angeles in July 2013 was a "turnoff" for him.
"When Howard asked why his teammates let the injured center take all the flak when the Lakers' season went south, (Steve) Nash said he didn't know that Howard had felt that way and that had he known, he would have acted different," Abbott wrote. "Bryant, on the other hand, offered a crash course in developing thick skin and a mini lecture on learning how to win. Sources told ESPN Insider Chris Broussard that Bryant's lecture was 'a complete turnoff' for Howard."
The article contains other interesting anecdotes about Bryant, including an issue he had with Nash before the point guard joined Los Angeles in 2012. Read the full story HERE.
