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Watch Rare Footage Of Kobe Bryant Dominating A High School Game

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Earlier this year, RawSports uncovered an early tape of a 17-year-old Kobe Bryant absolutely dominating a high school basketball game in 1995.

In the game, a PIAA Class AAAA District Quarterfinal, Kobe dropped 29 points in the second half and his team won 75-70.

Now RawSports has released another "lost tape," this one a full game from Kobe's senior season.

The game is pretty even in the beginning. Bryant is quiet, acting more as a facilitator, but around the 19-minute mark he starts displaying some classic Kobe moves.

His jumper looks pretty much the same:

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Here he is driving, getting his own rebound, and throwing a pass out to an open shooter. Relentless:

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Bryant and Lower Merion won and went on to win the state championship. The next year, Bryant skipped college and entered the NBA Draft. He was drafted 13th overall.

Watch the full game here. The quality isn't great, but you can see Bryant play a full game 

And here's some footage from the earlier video from his junior year.

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Watch a recap of that game here. It starts at the 9:45 minute mark:

 

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Kobe Bryant Is Taking An Absurd Number Of Shots

The Los Angeles Lakers dropped to 0-5 with their loss to the Phoenix Suns and there are growing signs that Kobe Bryant is just going to try to win games all by himself.

Bryant took a whopping 37 shots in the game, making 14. It was the most shots taken in a non-overtime NBA game since Monta Ellis took 39 shots for the Golden State Warriors in a game during the 2009-10 season.

This came after Bryant took 28 shots in the Lakers' previous game. He is now averaging 26.3 shots per game in the last four contests.

Based on that rate, Bryant is on pace to shoot an absurd 2,147 shots this season which would be just short of his all-time high, 2,173 during the 2005-06 season and 552 more than he shot in his last full season (1,595 in 2012-13). It would also be the fourth-highest total ever for a guard.

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Of course, at some point, Bryant is going to need to take some minutes and games off to rest and his pace will slow. But this does show just how trigger-happy he is being with the lack of talent around him.

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Magic Johnson Says The Historically Bad Lakers Are Fun To Watch And Kobe Is An MVP Candidate

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The Los Angeles Lakers are 0-5. They're getting outscored by 14.8 points per game and are currently on pace to be the worst defensive team in NBA history.

Kobe Bryant has missed more shots than almost every player in the NBA has attempted.

Despite all that, Lakers legend Magic Johnson is bullish. In a series of tweets on Tuesday, Magic called the Lakers exciting and said Kobe should be in the MVP discussion.

The tweets are kind of unbelievable, in that it's hard to believe he's not just trolling. He sold his stake in the team in 2011.

The tweets:

In Magic's defense, there have been a lot of points in Lakers games this year. But that's because their defense is so bad, not because they're an offensive juggernaut. They've been somewhat painful to watch on offense.

Kobe is averaging an impressive 27 points per game, but that's because he's shooting the ball like a maniac. He has attempted 40 more shots than anyone else in the league. He's shooting 40.2% on the year — the lowest percentage of his career.

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Kobe Bryant Will Pay An Estimated $11.4 Million In Taxes This Year Thanks To The 'Jock Tax'

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Kobe Bryant is the NBA's highest-paid player with a salary this season of $23.5 million. But thanks to taxes he will only take home a little more than half of that according to Chris Johnson of SI.com.

Johnson, working with tax expert Robert Raiola, looked at the highest-paid players in the NBA and came up with an estimate of each player's taxes, considering such factors as where the player resides and where the player plays both home and road games.

The road games are important for calculating the so-called "jock tax." This is a tax levied by some city and states on individuals who visit the area for work. Typically, these taxes are only forced upon pro athletes whose work schedules and salaries are easily obtainable.

Here are the five players that are expected to pay the most in taxes this season along with their estimated taxes (salary in parentheses).

  1. Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers — $11.4 million ($23.5 million)
  2. Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks — $11.3 million ($23.4 million)
  3. Carmelo Anthony, New York Knicks — $10.8 million ($22.5 million)
  4. Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets — $10.7 million ($23.2 million)
  5. Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers — $9.7 million ($20.1 million)

Bryant may not actually be the NBA's highest-paid player after taxes.

Bryant's estimated take-home pay is $12.1 million or about 51.5% of his salary.

Meanwhile, Joe Johnson of the Brooklyn Nets will take home an estimated $12.5 million (53.9%) of his $23.2 million salary, making him the unofficial highest-paid player in the NBA.

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Kobe Bryant Had A Simple Response To Finding Out He Broke The Record For Most Missed Shots

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On Tuesday night, Kobe Bryant missed a 14-foot fadeaway jumper in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. It seemed like just another shot in Kobe's career, but this one was a little bigger.

This particular shot was the 13,418th miss of Kobe's career, setting the all-time NBA record for most missed shots.

After the game, Bryant said he was unaware of the record and didn't pay attention to things like that. But when asked how he felt about being the record holder, Bryant had a fantastic response that was followed by his signature laugh and shrug of dismissal.

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Kobe put heavy emphasis on the word "shooting" and you can almost feel Kobe rolling his eyes inside his own mind.

At the end of the day it is a somewhat negative record. But it also says something positive about Bryant

A player has to be pretty good to take 24,542 shots in his career and that is what Kobe has done.

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Kobe Bryant Is Now A Gunslinger Of Historic Proportions

We recently took a look at how many shots Kobe Bryant is taking this season as it compares to his most recent full season (a LOT). But to get a better sense of just how much of a gunslinger he has become, let's compare Kobe to the other top shooters in the NBA.

Bryant is leading the NBA with 27.7 points per game but he has also taken 18 more shots than anybody else in the league. More importantly, he has taken those shots in one fewer game than the NBA's second-most prolific shooter, Carmelo Anthony.

To put it another way, Kobe is taking 25.2 shots per 36 minutes, 5.2 more than anybody else this season. That would also be the most shots per 36 minutes in 33 years (George Gervin, 25.4 in 1981-82) and the fifth-most in the shot clock era (1954-55 through present; min. 50 games).

And based on Kobe's 54 shots taken in the last two nights combined, there is no sign that he plans to stop slinging anytime soon.

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Kobe Bryant Has A Great Philosophy On Failure

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Kobe Bryant set an infamous record Tuesday night, becoming the all-time leader in missed shots in the NBA. Bryant, of course, had a great response about the record, noting his role and career longevity have played a part in all of his misses.

After the game, Bryant was asked about his approach to the game, being willing to take a lot of shots and live with them if he misses. He defiantly answered "No" when asked if he's ever been afraid of a moment or game, and then he shared his fantastic philosophy about failing in big moments:

"And I don't mean to sound cavalier when I say that, but never. It's basketball. I've practiced and practiced and played so many times. There's nothing truly to be afraid of, when you think about it." 

...

"No, because I've failed before, and I woke up the next morning, and I'm OK," he said. "People say bad things about you in the paper on Monday, and then on Wednesday, you're the greatest thing since sliced bread. I've seen that cycle, so why would I be nervous about it happening?" 

When reporters mentioned that Michael Jordan made a commercial about his failures, Bryant noted the similarities. "Yeah, philosophically, it's exactly the same thing. I grew up watching that stuff, and here I am. His approach to things has been inspirational to a kid growing up watching him." 

It's not the first time Bryant has been candid about facing failure. In a sit-down with the New York Times, Bryant told how his 11-year old daughter shared a similar feeling about getting over nervousness for math tests: once it's done, it's done. Asked about being afraid to take the big shot at the end of the game, Bryant said, "There’s an infinite groove. Whether you make the shot or miss it is inconsequential."

It's good Bryant is OK with missing shots and handling the criticism afterward, unafraid of failure. He's going to need to keep taking a lot of shots this season, and with another year left on his contract, his record might go unbroken.

SEE ALSO: Kobe Bryant Had A Simple Response To Finding Out He Broke The Record For Most Missed Shots

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The 26 Highest-Paid Players In The NBA

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Kobe Bryant may be in the midst of a nightmare season with the Los Angeles Lakers but he can take solace in knowing he has already won five championship rings and is still the highest-paid player in the NBA.

Meanwhile, in a perfect example of just how backwards the NBA's salary system can be, the arguably two best players in the NBA, LeBron James and Kevin Durant, are not even in the top five.

Of the players on this year's list most will be getting huge raises in the next two years as players and teams jockey for a position prior to the much anticipated higher salary cap that is coming for the 2016-17 season.

Using data from Spotrac.com, here are the highest-paid players in the NBA and their current contract situations.

#1 Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers — $23.5 Million

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Position: Shooting Guard

Contract: 2 years, $48.5 million

Career Earnings: $298.3 million

One thing to know: Kobe's contract has handcuffed the Lakers this season and next. But the Lakers have just $5.4 million committed to the 2016-17 roster, the same year the NBA's salary cap is expected to go way up. The Lakers could potentially add three superstars that year.

SOURCE: HoopsHype.com



#2 Amar'e Stoudemire, New York Knicks — $23.4 Million

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Position: Power forward

Contract: 5 years, $99.7 million

Career Earnings: $162.1 million

One thing to know: Stoudemire ranks 9th among active players in career earnings.



#3 Joe Johnson, Brooklyn Nets — $23.2 Million

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Position: Shooting guard

Contract: 6 years, $123.7 million

Career Earnings: $170.2 million

One thing to know: Johnson has one more year on his contract at $24.9 million. The Nets' payroll this year is $93.7 million but they only have $25.9 million committed after Johnson's contract expires after the 2015-16 season.

SOURCE: HoopsHype.com



See the rest of the story at Business Insider

This Insight Helped Kobe Bryant Become A Better Leader

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Considering Kobe Bryant's reputation as a hypercompetitive"mother f------ a------" (in the words of teammate Steve Nash),
 it has been surprising to see reports of the Lakers star taking younger teammates under his wing.

As Lakers center Robert Sacre told ESPN, "This year he's really been trying to communicate and help guys out. This year has made an effort to push guys but at the same time give them advice to make them better."

What changed? Bryant recently gave some insight into his new leadership style.

"As I got older, I started understanding it's not just about the game," Bryant told the New York Times. "People carry emotions with them. They have lives off the court. That helped me communicate better."

This approach marks a 180 for Bryant, who has long been tough on his teammates. In 2012, he notably defended his harsh ways in a Facebook manifesto where he declared, "I'd rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success."

But Bryant's newfound empathy should make him a more effective leader. As Daniel Pink writes in "Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us,""Empathy—not authoritarian rigidity—is what creates engagement, which is key in every aspect of business."

This is something that many leaders, especially male leaders, have to figure out. As Carol Kinsey Goman writes at Forbes, "While another person’s emotional pain activates mirror neurons (the “empathy” neurons) in both genders, a second system (the temporal-parietal junction, or TPJ) quickly takes over in the male brain. The TPJ in turn activates their “analyze-and-fix-it” circuits and leads men to immediately search for solutions, rather than understanding that sometimes people just need to be heard."

Of course, not even the best leader can save such a depleted Lakers team and so Bryant is taking a crazy amount of shots.

SEE ALSO: 4 Things Everyone Gets Wrong About Leadership

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Kobe Bryant Criticizes NBA Players Who Take Massive Pay Cuts

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Kobe Bryant has received plenty of criticism in recent years for demanding large salaries while other players such as Dirk Nowitzki and Tim Duncan have given their teams hometown discounts.

But Bryant now says it is those players who made the mistake of forfeiting some of their earning potential and putting more money back into the pockets of the owners.

In a recent interview with Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com, Kobe blamed the trend of veterans taking discount contracts on public pressure for the player to make it easier for the front office to create a winner. Bryant not only says it is a bad idea but makes it clear that it needs to stop pointing out that Michelle Roberts, the head of the players' association, won't put up with them either.

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Unfortunately for players, their contract information and annual salaries are easily obtainable by the fans while the salaries of team executives and profit margins for team are not. This opens players up for criticism when fans see how much they are making and at the same time shields the owners.

Dirk Nowitzki, who signed a deeply-discounted 3-year, $25 million contract prior to the season and will make just $8 million this year, defended his decision to take a smaller contract.

"I wanted to be on a good team," Nowitzki told McMahon. "I wanted to compete my last couple of years at the highest level."

Mark Cuban also defended Nowitzki's decision saying "not every player in the NBA, not every owner in the NBA is motivated purely by money."

Lost in the criticism of Bryant is that the Lakers did have enough salary cap space this summer to sign a star player and aggressively pursued Carmelo Anthony before he re-signed with the Knicks.

But fans still look at how much Nowitzki is making and how much Tim Duncan is making ($10.4 million this season), and the fans see those teams contending for championships while the Lakers struggle to win games. At that point it is becomes easy to blame Kobe for making $23.5 million even if it isn't justified.

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Kobe Bryant's Daughter Understands The Secret To Being Clutch

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Kobe Bryant was talking about his legendary clutchness in an interview with the New York Times a few weeks back when he shared this wonderful anecdote:

Let me tell you a story. My daughter just went back to school. She’s 11. She said: “Remember when I used to get nervous about math?” Her hands would get really clammy. I asked how she got over it. And she said: “I started thinking that once you take a math test, it’s done. I’m going to wake up the next day.” It may be a good day, it may be a bad one, but the cycle continues, no matter what happens on the math test.

This, Bryant says, is the secret to performing under pressure:

There’s an infinite groove. Whether you make the shot or miss it is inconsequential.

Read more at the Times »

SEE ALSO: This insight helped Kobe Bryant become a better leader

DON'T MISS: Kobe Bryant has a great philosophy on failure

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Kobe Bryant Talks About The Trait That Made Michael Jordan So Successful

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At some point in the next few weeks Kobe Bryant is going to pass Michael Jordan on the all-time scoring list.

More than any other high-profile player in the last 20 years, Kobe modelled his game off of Jordan's. Jordan once joked that Kobe stole all his moves, and there's a lengthy YouTube compilation of Kobe mimicking M.J.'s mannerisms on the court.

Kobe's persona — the ultra-competitive, antagonistic, slightly unhinged assassin — is very much indebted to Jordan.

In an interview with Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report, Kobe spoke about his relationship with MJ.

When asked to Jordan's "key attribute," Kobe had this to say:

"Aggression. It's not one game or one play, in particular; it's just his aggressiveness. It takes a lot of work, a lot of conditioning, skill and thought to be that aggressive and that assertive. He was relentless, man. He just kept coming after you.

"He just kept attacking, attacking, attacking—and attacking in different ways, from different spots on the floor, with different forms of footwork. Posting, perimeter, versatility..."

For both players, "aggression" manifested itself in taking an incredible number of shots. Earlier this year he broke the record for most missed field goals. In 1997, Jordan recited this famous quote about the virtue of missing shots in a Nike commercial:

"I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over, and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed."

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Kobe Bryant Is About To Pass Michael Jordan In A Very Exclusive Group

When the Los Angeles Lakers face the Boston Celtics tonight, Kobe Bryant will begin the game just 98 points behind Michael Jordan for third on the NBA's all-time scoring list.

While Kobe (probably) won't pass MJ tonight, he will pass him sometime in the next few games. Once he passes Jordan, the chase will be on to see if Bryant can catch Karl Malone and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

Until the last couple of seasons, Kobe was actually ahead of the pace of the other three thanks in large part to a career that started when he was 18. But if Kobe can play until he is 40, stay healthy, and average 21 points per game over that period, he will break the record in the 2017-18 season.

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Former Lakers Head Coach Describes The Hardest Part Of Coaching Kobe Bryant

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Former Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D'Antoni resigned at the end of the 2013-14 season following two disastrous seasons with the team.

Several players had issues with D'Antoni's fast-paced, offensive style of coaching, including Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol who were both vocal about disagreeing with D'Antoni's methods. Earlier this season, Bryant took a shot at D'Antoni's priorities, saying he wasn't concerned enough with winning.

In an interview with Sirius XM NBA Radio, D'Antoni described coaching Bryant, including the best and toughest parts of it. The toughest aspect:

"He has that determination and near-sightedness that he doesn't see the fringes too much. He sees one goal and he's going for it. He's going over you, under you, whatever, but he's getting right where he wants to go. And sometimes that makes it a little tough to coach him."

D'Antoni had prefaced those criticisms by saying Bryant has an incredible work ethic, and he'll strive to be the best player in the NBA as long as "humanly possible." D'Antoni said it's inspirational to be around Bryant's work ethic and his determination.

The Lakers had a combined 67-87 record under D'Antoni, with bad coaching, injuries, and plain bad luck playing a major part in their ineptitude.

SEE ALSO: Kobe Bryant Talks About The Trait That Made Michael Jordan So Successful

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Kobe Finally Snaps On The Lakers And Calls Them 'Soft Like Charmin'

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It was only a matter of time until Kobe Bryant snapped.

The Los Angeles Lakers are 6-16 with no sign things turning around. Bryant, the fierce competitor that he is, has shouldered an unprecedented amount of responsibility at 36 years old to try to help the team win.

According to Mike Bresnahan, the Lakers beat reporter for the Los Angeles Times, Bryant was "extremely unhappy" with his teammates during the Lakers practice Thursday.

Bresnahan tweeted the details of Bryant's outburst:

Kobe then cursed at Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak:

Kobe has suffered through bad Lakers team before, but during those years, he was in his prime, valuable, and had options if he wanted to leave L.A.

Now, at 36, Bryant is owed over $48 million through next season — a contract no team will be willing to take on. Bryant has also refuted the idea that after 18 years, he'd be willing to play with any other team but the Lakers.

Bryant's defended his team throughout the season, but he seemed to hit a breaking point on Thursday. Or perhaps it was just Nick Young that put him over the edge:

SEE ALSO: Former Lakers Head Coach Describes The Hardest Part Of Coaching Kobe Bryant

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Kobe Bryant Is Shooting The Lakers Into A Top-5 Pick

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You could argue that Kobe Bryant is having the most inefficient scoring season in NBA history. 

The ugly facts:

  • He's taking 22 shots per game and making 37.2% of them. Since 1962, only eight players have taken 20 shots per game and shot less than 40%.
  • In the shot clock era, Kobe has the lowest field goal percentage for a player taking at least 20 shots per game in season.
  • He's one of 11 players to ever take five three-pointers per game and make less than 30% of them in a season.
  • The Lakers get outscored by 13.3 points per 100 possessions when Kobe is on the court — the 2nd-worst net rating on the team.
  • He has missed more shots (380) than all but 22 other NBA players have taken.

He's scoring 24.6 points per game (fourth in the NBA), but he's doing it in a historically inefficient way.

We love Kobe. But this year the things hardcore NBA fans have always criticized him for — shooting too much, running too much isolation, taking low-percentage shots — have far outweighed the things he does well.

On Sunday night against the Sacramento Kings he shot 8-for-30 and turned it over nine times.

Without a star player he trusts, Kobe has taken it upon himself to be the team's entire offense, and it has backfired. No one taking this many shots has ever shot this badly.

The silver lining here is that the Lakers have a strong incentive to be bad. If L.A. doesn't finish with a top-five draft pick, their first-round pick goes to the Phoenix Suns. The difference between being the fifth-worst team in the league and the 10th-worst team in the league is massive. It's the difference between getting one of the best players in the draft and getting no one. As SB Nation's Tom Ziller noted, the Lakers might be content to let Kobe shoot them into a top-five pick.

The Lakers have the sixth-worst record in the league right now. 

Kobe has one-year left on his contract at age 36. The post-Kobe era is fast approaching, and next summer's draft could become a crucial first step in moving on from one of the best players ever.

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Kobe Bryant Had A Great Reaction To LeBron James Missing An Alley-Oop Dunk

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Something strange happened when the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers met on Thursday night. LeBron James and Kobe Bryant both seemed to be having fun during the Cavs win.

It was an unusual sight for the two superstars having tumultuous seasons.

The best example of their back-and-forth trash-talking, jabbing, chit-chatting, and smiling during the game came after James missed an alley-oop dunk.

Alley ... oops.

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A seemingly embarrassed LeBron came back down the court with a smile on his face in anticipation of what Bryant was going to say and Kobe did not disappoint.

According to LeBron after the game, Kobe simply told him "that's what old age gets you."

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At another point in the game, Kobe Called James "an Old Head," to which LeBron told Rachel Nichols, "you know what, he's right."

After the game, LeBron told the media that he "loves where [Kobe] is at right now," noting that Bryant is "not as moody as he was before."

Kobe later responded to LeBron's claim saying, "If we were contending for a championship, I'd be my same moody self."

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Kobe Bryant Injured His Right Shoulder, So He Played Left-Handed

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Kobe Bryant, at 36 years old, is doing everything he can to help the 12-31 Lakers, averaging an incredible 22 points, five rebounds, and five assists in 35 minutes per game this season.

Despite the gaudy stat line, Bryant's efficiency is way down. Bryant is shooting just 37% from the field, 29% from 3-point range, and a career-worst 47.7% true shooting.

Bryant has turned into an efficient chucker for this lottery-bound Lakers team, and that's with his dominant right hand.

Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans, Bryant injured his right shoulder on a dunk in the third quarter, grimacing as he made his way up the court. He sat out most of the fourth quarter, but with five minutes remaining and the Lakers down 13, Bryant checked back into the game, and began shooting left-handed.

With the game practically out of reach — not that wins matter much for the Lakers at this point, and the team went on to lose, 96-80 — most players would have sat out, avoiding the risk of worsening the injury. Bryant still attempted two shots with his left hand, one of which he made:

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The other one he missed pretty badly:

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Kobe Bryant's toughness has never been questioned, but this is foolish of Bryant. The Lakers have no shot at the playoffs this season, and with Bryant's logging heavy usage and high minutes, it makes sense to just shut him down or significantly cut his minutes to avoid hurting him further.

Bryant tried to downplay the injury after the game:

As Eric Freeman of Yahoo said:

Yes, Kobe did prove his commitment to staying on the court, but he established that trait long ago. The overwhelming impression of his decision to keep playing is something close to stubbornness or selfishness — only a player with an inflated sense of his own value would think his one-armed presence essential to victory.

Many expect next season, the final year on Bryant's contract, to be his final in the NBA. The Lakers have a load of cap space this summer and could manage to put together a competitive team around Bryant in his final year. There's no point in Bryant playing big minutes for a lottery-bound Lakers team, much less with his dominant arm injured.


NOW WATCH: Why Men Are Paying $1,500 And More For Secondhand Sneakers

 

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Former NBA Player Offers Harsh Reality About Kobe Bryant's Season-Ending Injury

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It was announced Friday that Kobe Bryant had a torn rotator cuff in his right shoulder.

Bryant injured his shoulder while playing against the New Orleans Pelicans on Thursday, prompting him to play left-handed in the fourth quarter of a 96-80 loss.

Though there's no official word on whether Bryant will undergo surgery, he is expected to miss the rest of the season.

For Bryant, this would be the third straight year in which his season was ended prematurely by injury. In 2012-2013, he tore his Achilles tendon, and in 2013-2014, he missed the end of the season with a knee injury.

Former NBA player and Houston Rockets head coach Kevin McHale weighed in on Bryant's injury and offered a harsh reality:

Eventually, this catches up to you, man. Kobe's a great player, but I've seen other great players. When your time's up, your time's up, man. It's too bad, but it happens to everybody.

I wish him all the best. I've always admired him. I think he's a hell of a competitor, but everything comes to an end. In my case, my body just said, 'You weren't playing anymore,' and I said, 'OK.'

Bryant is 36 years old and playing in his 19th NBA season. Despite his high mileage, he was still averaging nearly 35 minutes per game this year.

With one more year on his contract, many people expected next season to be his last.

Bryant is also known for being a stubborn, willful player who many people believe will not end his career unless it's on his own terms. If Bryant wishes to play one more season (or even beyond), he would be smart to take his time recovering from this injury, and then return next season and accept a lesser role. 


NOW WATCH: Why Men Are Paying $1,500 And More For Secondhand Sneakers

 

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Kobe Bryant Wanted To Team Up With Michael Jordan On The Wizards

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Kobe Bryant has cemented his legacy as a Los Angeles Laker after 19 years with the team.

But over a decade ago, Bryant almost left the Lakers because he wanted to team up with Michael Jordan on the Washington Wizards.

In the early 2000s, Jordan came out of retirement, sold his minority share of the Wizards, and began playing for the team. Bryant, meanwhile, had won three championships with the Lakers, but was in a feud with Shaquille O'Neal and approaching free agency.

Bryant admitted to Michael Lee of the Washington Post that joining the Wizards was on his mind back then:

"That’s true. A long time ago? Yeah."

...

"I’ve always been very big on having mentors, on having muses and I’ve been really, really big on that. Being around guys who have done it before and done it at a high level and always tried to pick their brains and always tried to absorb knowledge. Obviously, being in that situation [with the Wizards], it would’ve helped having to be around [Michael Jordan] every day and so on."

As Lee goes on to say, the Wizards didn't have the assets to trade for Bryant while he was under contract with the Lakers.

Jordan retired for good at the end of the 2002-03 season, but Bryant still would have liked to join the team to play under Jordan. Wizards owner Abe Pollin took away Jordan's power to run the team, so Jordan couldn't recruit Bryant to the Wizards. A year later, under Ernie Grunfeld, the Wizards went in another direction, and Bryant signed a seven-year, $136 million contract with the Lakers (who also traded away O'Neal).

Bryant and Jordan have very similar playing styles, so the combination of two ball-dominant, scoring wings may have been awkward on the court. Bryant insists it would be an easy fit:

"We would’ve put together a great team and we would’ve won championships. Listen, man. There are not a lot of players in this league that say, ‘Come hell or high water, we’re going to get this [expletive] done.’ People can look around and joke around about winning, saying they want to win. For me, it’s a matter of life or death. It was that important to me. And if it’s that important to me, I’m going to get there."

Ultimately, Bryant has spent the rest of his career with the Lakers where he won two more championships in 2009 and 2010.

Bryant is expected to miss the rest of this season with a torn rotator's cuff in his right arm.

SEE ALSO: Former NBA Player Offers Harsh Reality About Kobe Bryant's Season-Ending Injury

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