Shout out to Kobe Bryant

[spurs1990]

Some very cool and complimentary words from Bryant after tonight's game:

“[San Antonio has] forced us to be our absolute best whenever we played against them. We constantly think about them throughout the course of the year and are always looking at what they are doing and how they are playing. We have had some epic battles.”

"But right now, there is nothing like this. I love coming here. I know San Antonio about as well as I know Los Angeles. It’s kind of like my home away from home.”


Lakers hatred aside, I've always been a sort of a mark for Bryant (as a player). I can remember having league pass in 2000-2001 and seeing every night the exceptional plays Bryant could deliver that didn't make the highlight reel (pre-social media days).

Dude has always positively commented on the challenges of facing SAS, particularly with Duncan and vs Bowen. I think it's genuine, and certainly more sincere than other Spurs' foes past or present (Garnett, Dirk, Durant). You will recall he did his mini documentary in a game vs SA.

What do you yall think. Wasn't playing against Bryant these past 20 seasons one of the top reasons to get up for any Spurs game. It's sucks that the real season count is 4-2 (throwing out '13), but damn I'm gonna miss looking forward to beating these guys down with Bryant in tow.

End of an Era. Props to Bryant handling it graciously towards your San Antonio Spurs.

[BatManu20]

"But right now, there is nothing like this. I love coming here. I know San Antonio about as well as I know Los Angeles. It’s kind of like my home away from home.”


This is an interesting quote. Why does he know so much about SA? And why is it his "home away from home?" Not that it matters, just genuinely curious. Pretty random.

[BatManu20]

Full quote:

Kobe Bryant said he'll miss competing against the San Antonio Spurs. "Absolutely. They force us to be at our absolute best whenever we played against them," Bryant said. "We're constantly thinking about them throughout the course of the year and always looking at what theyre doing and how theyre playing. Weve had some epic battles." And of playing in San Antonio, Bryant said, "I love coming here. I know San Antonio about as much as I know Los Angeles. I know where to go. I know all the spots. Its kind of like home away from home. Its crazy."

Kobe Bryant said he and Tim Duncan still talk trash during games, even after all these years. "Hes a smartass like me. Hes just a little bit more quiet about it," Bryant said. "But we share a great deal of sarcastic remarks...[It's] still the same over the years. Still the same smartass stuff."

[SAGirl]

Full quote:

Kobe Bryant said he'll miss competing against the San Antonio Spurs. "Absolutely. They force us to be at our absolute best whenever we played against them," Bryant said. "We're constantly thinking about them throughout the course of the year and always looking at what theyre doing and how theyre playing. Weve had some epic battles." And of playing in San Antonio, Bryant said, "I love coming here. I know San Antonio about as much as I know Los Angeles. I know where to go. I know all the spots. Its kind of like home away from home. Its crazy."

Kobe Bryant said he and Tim Duncan still talk trash during games, even after all these years. "Hes a smartass like me. Hes just a little bit more quiet about it," Bryant said. "But we share a great deal of sarcastic remarks...[It's] still the same over the years. Still the same smartass stuff."
A lot of banter back and forth between these two.
I wonder about our youngest Spurs.
New rivalries could be in the making this season because even with the big 3 in tow, the focus is not on them anymore as it was before.
We need everyone playing well, but at this point, we go where Kawhi takes us, quite simply, and we hope to put a good enough group of younger guys around him for him to shine in the future.

[BatManu20]

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[SupremeGuy]

675559123581140992I don't know why, but I felt like Pop told him to come on the staff next year.

[DenialTwist]

Saw Kobe's postgame interview and he also talked briefly about Kawhi's improvement. Kobe said Kawhi has improved "leaps and bounds" offensively compared to when he first came into the NBA. He also said he there are no current NBA team rivalries like the one the spurs and lakers have had since 1999.

[pookenstein]

Shoutout to Kobe: fuck you. But thanks for the last few years.

[Kikoluna]

Well said. I always said it would be a sad day when the great villain goes away. Beautiful battles. Will be missed.

[bic50]

Cool. Never hated kobe just pissed me off how good he was and how much he'd kill us :lol.

[K...]

Sucking up to pop is a good way to back into the all star game.

I would love Kobe, if he played hero ball at the asg , to play over and into curry's game releasing the chucker soul in currys game..Do us one more favor Kobe. He could probably also harass his former peon Luke Walton at some point..

[Yuixafun]

I still vividly remember being at my homeboys' house, right after Tim Duncan hit that prayer shot over Shaq in the lane leaving .4 on the clock in the playoffs.

The camera cut to a dejected Kobe face and I was right near the T.V. and I proceeded to stab an imaginary dagger in his face several times with gusto.

And the rest is history, although I will say... someone had let the dogs out earlier in the 4th and they were barking to come back in. But everyone was staying put because we wanted to see the end of the game.

But then it started to weirdly drag... TV commercial, back to the game, TIME out, another commercial, Another time out... all the while the dogs in the background barked ominously.

To this day I still think if I had just sprinted my happy ass through the kitchen to the side door and let them in, Fisher would never had made that shot.

But it also has made me more mindful of the taking care of the even the little things in life, so there is that.

[Sigz]

Fuck Kobe. Worst piece of shit that ever happened to the NBA.

[Ginobilly]

This is an interesting quote. Why does he know so much about SA? And why is it his "home away from home?" Not that it matters, just genuinely curious. Pretty random.

You'll be surprised how many hollywood celebrities/Mexican politicians n celebrities, former and current NBA players make the San Antonio/Hill country/Austin area "their home away from home". I've seen Vicente Fernandez eat with his family at the river walk and nobody bothers him. If he lived in LA or San Fran, no doubt he would be getting bothered by his fans or paparazzi. But in San Antonio, the people respect the privacy of others better than other cities.

[Cry Havoc]

Kobe would never make a statement like this unless it was self-serving. He's doing everything he can to suck up to the Spurs to make his terrible season have a silver lining.

What kind of competitor is laughing on the FT line when his team is down 30 and all the rookies on his team are dejected as fuck?

This is all about Kobe, only about Kobe. No one else in the world is important to him.

[N0 LyF3 ScRuB]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TIgmXTaLeBM&feature=endscreen&NR=1

Old video. He talks about Manu at 5:27.

IIRC he said Manu was the best shooting guard he's ever faced outside Jordan

[jehawk81]

Well said. I always said it would be a sad day when the great villain goes away. Beautiful battles. Will be missed.

Really? Ur gunna miss all those nonexistent superstar calls he'd get against us (& the rest of the league)? Screw that!

[FkLA]

I love Pop but I've always found it hypocritical that he has so much respect for Kirby. He's straightforward, no BS with everything else but for some reason he ignores the fact that Kirby's me-first style is the complete opposite of what the Spurs culture stands for. A culture that Pop himself built.

[itzsoweezee]

Fuck Kobe and fuck you. Fuck that gunning, selfish piece of shit.

Stephen Curry has already eclipsed Kobe as an individual player anyway. Kobe wouldn't win shit in this era because he's too selfish to play team ball and not smart enough to take efficient shots.

[RD2191]

I love Pop but I've always found it hypocritical that he has so much respect for Kirby. He's straightforward, no BS with everything else but for some reason he ignores the fact that Kirby's me-first style is the complete opposite of what the Spurs culture stands for. A culture that Pop himself built.
He loves it because Pop might be light a couple of rings if Kobe wasn't a sociopathic ballhog. :lol

[Purch]

I love Pop but I've always found it hypocritical that he has so much respect for Kirby. He's straightforward, no BS with everything else but for some reason he ignores the fact that Kirby's me-first style is the complete opposite of what the Spurs culture stands for. A culture that Pop himself built.

I think he just doesn't feel like he perfected basketball.. Meaning that even though he built a culture around his players..and playing a certain way.... it doesn't mean that it was the only way to be successful in the nba.

For example, he's talked highly about Pat Riley during his coaching days, even though Pat Riley's approach to the media was the opposite of his own. Pat Riley as a coach was as egotistical/Hollywood as possible.. whiles on the other hand Pop gives all his credit to his players and always takes the spotlight off of himself.

So just because Pop emphasized ball movement doesn't mean he couldn't at the same time appreciate this.

zx02W5pc7yQ

Shots like those are the reason guys miss the emphasis on the mid range game. Mid range scorers like Jordan, Kobe, McGrady, Penny ext...used those jab steps, triple threats, fadeaways, reverse pivots, elevation ext... to the absolute max.

[DMC]

I love Pop but I've always found it hypocritical that he has so much respect for Kirby. He's straightforward, no BS with everything else but for some reason he ignores the fact that Kirby's me-first style is the complete opposite of what the Spurs culture stands for. A culture that Pop himself built.

Unless you know how hard Kobe worked for 20 years in the NBA before, during and after practice, before games and all that stuff, you probably can't appreciate what a head coach like Pop would see in that play style. Pop has always respected effort, even if the method isn't his idea.

[UNT Eagles 2016]

Kirby's dumb technical foul lit a fire under us and helped us pull away, tbh :toast