Monday, October 15th, 2012 at 9:50 am  |  192 responses

Kobe Bryant Cares About Winning–Not Being a Good Teammate


After spending a few days last week lighting up former teammates who he felt never lived up to their end of the bargain, Kobe Bryant explained in detail the thinking behind his style of leadership. From KB’s Facebook page: “Leadership is responsibility. There comes a point when one must make a decision. Are YOU willing to do what it takes to push the right buttons to elevate those around you? If the answer is YES, are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? Here’s where the true responsibility of being a leader lies. Sometimes you must prioritize the success of the team ahead of how your own image is perceived. The ability to elevate those around you is more than simply sharing the ball or making teammates feel a certain level of comfort. It’s pushing them to find their inner beast, even if they end up resenting you for it at the time. I’d rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that’s just not reality. I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses. This is my way. It might not be right for YOU but all I can do is share my thoughts. It’s on YOU to figure out which leadership style suits you best.”

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  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Uh…you’re not a “baller” either. You’re not in the NBA. You never have been. You’re just like the rest of us. Just a fan.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    My biggest question is why does he feel the need to talk about guys he hasn’t played with for 5 years? Smush and Kwame are enjoying themselves, doing what they want to do. All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Kobe decides to bring them up.

  • JR

    I guess what I’m trying to get across is this: Kobe is telling us he cares about winning titles (which he has done) and not about what his teammates think of him. He’s just being honest about that fact (which is an admirable quality); that’s who he is. He’s one of the greatest to ever play basketball, that doesn’t mean he’s perfect. He’s just sharing his strategy, and no one can say it hasn’t worked because it unquestionably has. Sure, maybe a different approach would yield better results, but you can say that about everyone. Yet people come in here and comment how big of a dick he is, when it really isn’t a big deall; most uber successful people are dicks: Kobe, Michael, Oprah, Rossie O’donel, the list goes on. At least Kobe’s embraced it.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Leaving as a free agent isn’t jumping ship. Nothing wrong about it. Never begged for a trade. Never said he wanted to be traded.

  • JR

    But people don’t use proper facts to back up their thinking. They see Dwight smiling during the game or Lebron dancing before it and say “these guys lack the competitive edge of Kobe, MJ, Bird and Magic…they don’t care about winning”. That narrative is often brought up in the media, and even more so in forums and comment threads.

  • justin05

    Not belittling, just saying that he is successful because of how hard he has worked and treating teammates bad doesn’t define him as a person or basketball player. I’m just tired of this bad drama. Idc if Kobe befriended Smush or not, the only thing I care about is if Kobe can still play at an all-star level and if our new players will mesh well this season. Hater is a strong word but it’s obvious that some people just want to talk smack because they don’t like Kobe. I respect your opinions tho bamnecessary, you’re not as dumb nas most ppl on here, I just can’t fathom the idea that he is a horrible person based off of how he treated a few teammates.

  • http://www.facebook.com/JeremydeSa Jeremy de Sa

    Classic. New Boyz are basically Tupac and Biggie put together.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    It’s not about befriending him. It’s about treating a man with respect. Very simple. Very easy. If you’re tired of the bad drama, tell Kobe to stop bringing up teammates he played with 5 years ago. Guys that no one would be talking about if he hadn’t decided to talk about them himself. I don’t think he’s a horrible person. He’s just not the best when it comes to talking to teammates.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    I don’t think that his championships alone can be used as proof that what he’s done as a leader has worked. More than anything, Gasol would be as good as he is regardless of how good or bad Kobe’s leadership is. So it’s not his strategy that has worked, it’s the fact that Lamar Odom was highly skilled as well as Gasol and Bynum (when he wasn’t hurt). I heard numerous times that Derek Fisher was actually the real leader of those post-Shaq championship teams.

  • justin05

    I care what intelligent ppl who can play the game think because I’ve always had a passion for this sport. It was my dream to play NBA ball so I respect players like Kobe because he has accomplished something that I could not. Kobe doesn’t care what any of us think, he just wants to win.

  • Conor

    Really? So Jordan calling the same Kwame Brown a “faggot” was a product of his pushing the right buttons, eh?

  • justin05

    If anyone treated me that way I would immediately end my relationship with them. You don’t need ppl like that in your life but it doesn’t give you an excuse to lay your hands on them.. There are douchebags all over the world

  • K_HOLIDAY

    Exactly! What were his intentions there?

  • Kap

    @nbk Kobe’s ways have not cost him any success. 2004 was not his fault. Detroit was just better and LA had that horrible bench and couldn’t defend billups in the pick n roll (shaq). You are way too harsh on a guy who has been as successful as any player in the history of the league. I bet 98% of the guys who ever played in the L wish they had the career and accomplishments Kobe has and continuing to get.

  • Conor

    Jordan savants are able to recall his assessment of the same Kwame Brown as being a “faggot” when they played together on the Wizards, do they not?

    Kobe speaks candidly about Parker’s lack of professionalism, and that is – by some testament to Jordan – supposedly a greater condemnation of his team play than punching Parker would have been? Neither event was just, unless you appreciate their respective honesties.

    (As for administration, please appreciate the context of this statement. This is not an attack against anybody. Simply an observation/counter-point with a sensitive quote to support it)

  • Conor

    *can they not?

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    your list of successful people who are dicks fell apart pretty quick. Oprah’s a dick? Rosie O’Donnel is so successful that she fits in this category? Is she a dick because she wears a fake one? — I mean i get the idea that you can be a dick and still be successful, that’s obviously true. But I could very easily, with the talent around him, say Kobe Bryant under achieved given his individual abilities. The narrative remains, Kobe is one of the best individual basketball players of all time, while being one of the worst leaders ever to still experience success.

  • Conor

    You’re exactly right. Jordan once called the same Kwame Brown a “faggot” when they played for the Wizards. Modern Leadership 101 in some minds.

    Bryant’s adopted moves from Jordan, Dr. J, Magic, Bird, Olajuwon, KAJ, Baylor, West, and countless others. Don’t diminish the work ethic, man.

  • Conor

    By the way, for any potential misinterpretation of this comparison, each paragraph signifies a new idea. I meant that both Bryant’s recent comments and Jordan’s punching Steve Kerr may have been done in the poorest of tastes, but they were honest solutions to problems that had been presented to the two players.

  • Atlanta Zone 6

    Every kobe post you on here leaving novels on how much you dislike him……

    You coming across as obsessed to me brah.

  • shockexchange

    justin05 For your information, in June the Shock Exchange was voted “best necomer” on SLAM. You’re not even qualified to address the Shock Exchange. You need more accolades.

  • phil

    He’s awkward socially. Grew up around whites and has a self hate for blacks. Throw in an ego of a napoleon and you got one messed up individual! Do you notice in all the video or pictures outside of basketball he’s alone, you never see a group of friends with him. Even back in the day with shaq, I seen plenty of vids on the guys messing around and never was kobe with them. Talk about royce whites mental illness, what about kobes.

  • Atlanta Zone 6

    @byanymeansnecessary Care more about Kobe than an hater i have ever seen…..and before your bitch ass reply with “I’m not a hater” How come the only time i see you is on a post about Kobe?

    You a spurs fan go blog for that boring ass franchise

  • shockexchange

    justin05 For your information, in June the Shock Exchange was voted “top newcomer” on SLAM. You’re not even qualified to address the Shock Exchange. You need more accolades.

  • Datkid

    People act like you have to be a dick to your teammates to be a champion. that’s not true or fair. Was Magic Johnson a dick? was Larry Bird? Was Wilt? Bill Russell is the greatest winner of all time and yet he was never an asshole to his teammates. MJ was a terrible person to his teammates but he also eventually managed to form life long bonds with them, and he never went as far as Kobe did. Nash get’s far more out of his teammates by being nice to them, then Kobe does by continually being a terrible person them. Kobe has actually underachieved substantially with the talent around him. if he passes the ball more they beat detroit in 04 and if he keeps shaq around instead of driving him out, they probably could’ve 5-peated. The Celtics and the Mavericks both flat out got him when they won, but we JUST watched him shoot himself out of a series against OKC and then blame his teammates. (Although to be fair Andrew Bynum absolutely should’ve done more). It would’ve been tough but a properly led LA team could’ve beaten OKC. Kobe Bryant isn’t a good or effective leader. but we already knew that.

  • hoodsnake

    I’m reading the comments and I cannot stop thinking about the Curb Your Enthusiasm episode (think it was called Seinfeld), ‘…that being said..’

  • http://twitter.com/AjpDos Allen Powell

    In regular life, Smush would have punched Kobe if the mouth. That’s my issue. Kobe is the undisputed king of L.A. Why is he acting like a jerk to a peon? He knows that if he was “Kobe” he couldn’t get away with treating another man like that, not after Chris Childs and Doug Christie both rocked his jaw. But Smush wasn’t going to beef with Kobe while in Lakers gold. He understood who had the juice, and because Kobe knew that, he acted like a bully.
    It’s not cool to abuse power. As someone who has done that on a much smaller scale, it’s something to be ashamed of, not proud of.

  • http://twitter.com/AjpDos Allen Powell

    You don’t get brownie points for admitting to being an a-hole. You’re still an a-hole, you’re just not a lying a-hole.

  • shockexchange

    justin05 You need more accolades before you can address the Shock Exchange.

  • http://twitter.com/AjpDos Allen Powell

    No they weren’t. They were the actions of bullies. The difference in stature between the Jordan and Kobe and the players they attacked makes their attacks cowardly.
    Jordan didn’t say jack to Jerry Stackhouse, who openly refused to give him the ball and called him washed up. Instead he attacked Kwame.
    Kobe actively avoided bashing Shaq,and still does, but wants to randomly discuss Smush Parker? Really son?

  • LakeShow

    Love it.

  • LakeShow

    Magic:no
    Bird:yes
    Wilt:yes
    Russell:debateable

  • LakeShow

    lol… It’s funny to watch isn’t it?
    It’s like this: New Kobe post appears, and 3,2,1….

  • Conor

    There is no difference in “stature”. They are equal as men.

    As for the instigation of this supposed bullying: Parker began bashing Bryant five years ago. These media-induced barbs between the two find common origin in Parker’s actions.

    Bryant challenged Shaq to fight him several times when they played together. And called him “fat” and “lazy” multiple times, so he avoided nothing.

    I don’t care much for the Jordan-Wizards scenario, but you can be sure that Jerry Stackhouse wasn’t on the cusp of his mind when he made those belittling remarks regarding Kwame Brown.

  • LakeShow

    Not even close to a correlation between the two.

  • Conor

    More people forget that Bryant averaged similar (sometimes less, other times more) stats & impacted the game just as much as Shaq preceding the Finals every season between 2000-2004 (2003=Playoffs-only). Series which were dubbed “the true Finals” because any team from the West would have swept or demolished the East’s representative.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Another person with no good sense who has no idea what a “hater” is. You don’t see me on other posts because you don’t check them. Either that or you just can’t see or read very well. Go check them. You’ll see me there. Where the Spurs fan thing came from I have no idea but this isn’t a Lakers website.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Kobe knows who to go after and who not to go after. He’s smart.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Kobe’s as successful as any player in the history of the league??? When were you born, in ’96?

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    You come off as not having any kind of common sense brah. I never said I disliked him. Basic reading skills. Get them.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    What’s funny is Lakers/Kobe fanatics who are incapable of reading anything that’s not complimentary of them without having some kind of fit.

  • InThePaint

    How he treats his teammates doesn’t define him as a person? I’m not going to insult you by asking what grade did you finish. I would however suggest you look up the word CHARACTER!! How can we ask the youth to show respect for people around them, but give this grown man of two children a pass for his ignorance? Play an individual sport if treating your teammates/co workers with respect is too far fetch of a concept. Kobe time and time again keeps showing his azz..Professionalism and respect should be exercised at all times ..what goes around comes around..You want respect one must give respect!! I think he is going through a midlife crisis this attention whore is coming to grips with the reality that his time is soon coming to an END!! Fame is a drug and Kobe needs rehab.

  • Conor

    You’re saying that Parker, as a man, accepted the way that he states Bryant treated him while a member of the Lakers…

    The same Parker who has been out of the League since 2007 (upon his banishment by the Miami Heat franchise for conduct similar to what Bryant described Parker as having showcased throughout his tenure as a Laker)? The same Parker who has been reduced to having his name networked exclusively through stories regarding his former tormentor’s methods. Methods which have not been confirmed as having been replicated with any other teammate, young or old?

    If someone like Sasha Vujacic or Chris Mihm was to confirm Parker’s tales of misconduct as valid, I will apologize for my scepticism. Yet they – and many others from that Lakers era – had no credentials to speak of either as champions or winners and have failed to venture forth with stories of mistreatment and bullying from the likes of Bryant.

    Bryant may not have respected Parker, but for the latter to say that Kobe dismissed Parker outright or that he was a loner who refused to eat dinner with the team at team dinners aren’t the most believable of anecdotes.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    For those comparing Kobe to Jordan in how they treated teammates, even if you wanted to justify Kobe’s actions by saying that Jordan was the same or worse, you couldn’t make that argument successfully. Mostly because Jordan was a much better player than Kobe. I’d have less to say if Jordan had acted this way towards a Smush Parker type player mostly because there was nothing fake about him. Nothing unoriginal. He was a hyper competitive dude and it got out of hand sometimes. Everything that surrounded him from endorsements to the Jordan Brand, he earned it all. Kobe’s entire aura was about him being the next MJ. He’s too full of himself for really no good reason. He’s basically Jordan Jr. Nothing really original about him. Which is why I think this is so funny. Have people not been paying attention for the last 16 years? Kobe’s accomplishments won’t match Jordan’s. He has tried since the day he announced that he was going into the NBA to be like Jordan. He’s failed. Michael’s motivation was natural. Kobe’s motivation was to be like Michael. Big difference there. He had the talent and developed the work ethic. Michael’s coach, Phil Jackson, helped him as much as he could before he had enough and left. Then he came back and apparently Kobe had grown up and gotten less stubborn and more coachable. But anytime a person tries to be exactly like someone else, they never make it.

  • http://twitter.com/sooperfadeaway nbk

    yes there is. especially when he wouldn’t accept the trade if Luol Deng was involved. It’s a built in excuse “i can’t win without Luol Deng so i’m not going” — the fact of the matter is, Kobe blamed not being successful in 2005 on others not being good enough around him. He fits right into, QUOTE, “people who blame others for their lack of success”

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    One of the best individual players of all time who experienced success. Very well put.

  • Conor

    Revenue is generated for the site between the interest stoked by the title & the people who are willing to comment on it. The more dramatic, the better.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Which is different than being a great player who’s also a leader and experiences success because of all of those things he possesses. Kobe won despite his lack of good leadership skills.

  • ByAnyMeansNecessary

    Of course, you see a problem here because all you know is the Lakers are great and Kobe is great.

  • Kadavour

    Last year or maybe year-before-last I met Michael Jordan at a golf event in Florida. It was this glitzy tech event and someone sprang big bucks to get Mike to come play a couple rounds with us. I was one of maybe 3 not-white guys there and judging from how everyone else spoke, i was the only hoop head. Anyways, it must have taken me about 3 hours to develop the mettle to approach the guy. And i’m far from star struck, but this was Money! Anyways, i make my way over to him, say what up, ask for a pic, and he looked at me and said, “How much you got?” I was a little confused and tried to laugh it off, but he was seriously asking me how much i would pay him for a measly photo. I joked that I don’t have my bank book with me, and he promptly turned to the other dude that was trying to get his attention. This is the only insight I have into MJ on a personal basis. Everything else i know about him was crafted by some media or marketing machine back in the 90s, and it just doesn’t resonate well with what i witnessed first hand. I’ve been observing all the talk about Kobe the last 2 weeks and i can’t shake the notion that if today’s 24/7 virtual access and media machine existed back in the 90s, we’d have a different view of Mike. I mean, can you imagine some rapper singing about the 150Ms (Vanessa was supposed to get $75M contrary to Drake’s telling) Juanita got ?

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