Kobe Bryant doesn’t have many friends in the league but he does form bonds with players he sees himself in, including Rajon Rondo, Russell Westbrook and the latest Draymond Green. During his 20th and final season in the NBA, Kobe zeroed in on Green, chatting with the young player during All-Star weekend and continuing to text throughout the season. Green has been known for being outspoken, aggressive and a competitor so it’s no surprise Kobe latched onto him. Bryant considers Draymond to be a “rare breed”, and one that can create the friction The Black Mamba believes every championship team needs.
“Draymond is a rare breed in this day and age,” Bryant said, via the San Francisco Chronicle. “He’s a competitor, and he’s not afraid to show he’s a competitor. He’s not afraid to address certain issues with teammates and with (opponents) that may seem uncomfortable. He’s a challenger.”
“You have to have some guys on the team that are hitting those buttons every day in practice,” Kobe said. “You’re creating that tension, you’re creating competitive nastiness in practice. You have to have that in order to build up that internal fortitude.”
“In the playoffs,” Bryant said, “there’s so much friction that emerges, there are so many tough things you have to go through emotionally, if the team is constantly on an even-keel path, when those moments of tension arise in the playoffs, your teammates won’t be used to handling them. … It’s like sailing on glassy water. If you do that all the time, and all the sudden the storm hits, you have no idea how to handle it. […] You have to have some guys on the team that are hitting those buttons every day in practice. You’re creating that tension, you’re creating competitive nastiness in practice. You have to have that in order to build up that internal fortitude.”
He has a point. Plus this is a man who has a 20-year career in the NBA and five championships; he probably knows what he’s talking about.
You may remember that game when everyone made a big deal about Green’s profanity laced tirade during a game they were losing (but later won) against the Thunder? Yea well they lost game 1 to the Thunder in the WCF on Monday night. Another one might’ve happened or needed to.
