Kobe Bryant was one of the best players the NBA had throughout its history, although what was truly surprising was how he managed to dominate the league in such a short time. The Black Mamba arrived in the Michael Jordan era and took over when His Majesty decided to step aside from the Chicago Bulls.
Something that was always talked about about Kobe was that he wanted to be the best of all, even above Jordan. That, obviously, led to making some mistakes or being the protagonist of situations that did not like other players, as is the case of Gary Payton, legend of the Seattle SuperSonics franchise.
Payton said that NBA veterans hated the then-No.8 Los Angeles Lakers, as he was too arrogant and conceited on his arrival in the league. To remember: Gary would later play for the purple and gold franchise for a season, but he was left at the ring gates in the 2004 Finals against the Detroit Pistons.
Gary Payton talked about Kobe Bryant and his arrival in the NBA
Payton began by explaining why Bryant earned the hatred of NBA veterans: “Kobe was really arrogant. It was a high school boy who came in talking about how he was going to be the best, that he was going to be one of the best basketball players. When he went to the Lakers, it started when he forced Charlotte to trade him to the Lakers, so that’s what he was. “
“It was like, man, who does this kid think he is? Making people do this and that. So I’m just saying, yeah, a lot of people were really against him, because of how he acted, but I loved it. He had an attitude, I liked him a lot, “Payton concluded in dialogue with Brandon Robinson, finally approving the attitude of his former partner. (GG) (Bolavip)