Bryant once addressed criticisms of being a selfish basketball player.
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was often criticized for shooting the ball a bit too much during his career. In fact, there was a time when jokes were made about the “Black Mamba’s” penchant for being a ball hog instead of trusting his teammates. The Philadelphia native heard all of it and even admitted that it bothered him because the public didn’t know the real reason why he had to keep shooting.
“It was hurtful to hear that kind of stuff,” Bryant said, as reported by ESPN. “Did they think this was something I all of a sudden discovered I could do? I’ve been able to put up points since the day I walked into this league. But, in the past, I deferred from doing that to win championships.”
Kobe was instructed by Phil to shoot
When Shaquille O’Neal departed the Purple and Gold in 2004, and the team went into a rebuilding phase with him as the main star, his touches went up from 18 attempts per game to 27.2. The 18-time All-Star was tasked by none other than Phil Jackson himself to take on more of the scoring load, especially on a team that didn’t have players who specialized in it.
This was also the same year the one-time MVP averaged a career-high 35.4 points a game (which back then was considered extraordinarily high) in the regular season and scored an NBA record of 81 points. Kobe’s usage, especially in the scoring department, led him to win two scoring titles.
“It was necessary last year for me to score. We had a new system and too many young new players. Phil and I discussed it. He told me, ‘You are going to have to shoulder the load until everyone else catches up,'” he clarified.
Bryant’s role eventually changed
Kobe’s game changed when the Pau Gasol era in Los Angeles began. Not only were his scoring duties divided among Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, and even Derrick Fisher, but he also had more options when passing the ball. That’s how important it was for any superstar, including Bryant, to be surrounded by the right teammates.
“I’ll tell you what,” he said. “If I didn’t have Pau or Andrew and the crew that I have, I’d score 45-50 points, and everybody would say, ‘Damn, he shoots too much.'”
“But I got a great crew; I don’t need to do that. I can pick my poison, so when I get in the paint, I can make choices. If they play me, I’ll kick it to my guys, and they’ll score and have a big night. If they don’t, I’ll have a big night,” he added.
That’s how Mamba operated; he did whatever his team needed him to do. Whether it was shooting more, guarding the best player of the opposing team, or getting his teammates involved, the five-time champion’s versatile skill set was evident throughout his 20-year tenure in the league.