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<\/p>\nFormer Los Angeles Lakers guard Smush Parker recently shared a wild story on the origins of his beef with the late Kobe Bryant.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Parker recounted on the \u201cPablo Torre Finds Out\u201d podcast about his first attempt to strike up a conversation with Bryant about a football game from the previous night.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looked at me, honestly, looked at me and said, \u2018You can\u2019t talk to me, you need more accolades under your belt before you come talk to me,’\u201d the 42-year-old Parker told Torre. \u201cHe was dead serious. \u2026 So that set the tone. I never spoke to him again, or tried to, for two years as the starting point guard.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parker and Bryant were teammates from 2005 to 2007.<\/p>\n
Bryant trashed Parker in a Los Angeles Times story in 2012.<\/p>\n
\u201cSmush Parker was the worst,\u201d Bryant said. \u201cHe shouldn\u2019t have been in the NBA, but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. We let him walk on.\u201d<\/p>\n
Parker believes Bryant\u2019s remarks were in retaliation to his 2007 interview when he said playing with the five-time NBA champion was an \u201coverrated experience.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bryant built a reputation for being demanding and ultra-competitive during his career like his on-court idol Michael Jordan which alienated him from most of his Lakers teammates.<\/p>\n
Parker went on record in a 2012 interview with Hard 2 Guard radio that he stopped passing the ball to Bryant toward the end of his two-year tenure with the Lakers.<\/p>\n
Kobe Bryant Never Spoke to Smush Parker
\n\u201cThe man never spoke to me,\u201d Parker told Torre on the December 19 episode of his podcast. \u201cI wasn\u2019t the 12th man on the bench. I wasn\u2019t the call-up from the G League who was just filling a roster spot. I started with this man. I was his co-worker. Like we shared a cubicle side-by-side. How do you do that for two seasons and never hold a conversation?\u201d<\/p>\n
The former teammates never reconciled. Bryant died in a helicopter crash on January 26, 2020.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe problems in L.A. end and start with Kobe Bryant,\u201d Smush said on \u201cPablo Torre Finds Out.\u201d \u201cAnd I felt that way because as the leader, as the captain, as the star of the team, if you don\u2019t communicate with your teammates, how is a team supposed to be successful?\u201d<\/p>\n
Parker signed with the Miami Heat with the help of Shaquille O\u2019Neal, Bryant\u2019s former co-star in Los Angeles, after his Lakers stint. By the end of 2008, Parker was out of the NBA and became a journeyman overseas.<\/p>\n
Bryant and the Lakers would go on to win back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010.<\/p>\n
LeBron James Misses Timberwolves Game
\nLeBron James will sit out Thursday\u2019s matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, due to tendinitis in his left ankle.<\/p>\n
The announcement came after James flirted with a triple-double in a 124-108 loss to the Chicago Bulls. The 38-year-old Lakers superstar finished with 25 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in 37 minutes.<\/p>\n
He later admitted that the grueling schedule has taken a toll on them as reflected on their 1-4 record since their unbeaten In-Season Tournament title run.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a combination of everything,\u201d James said via ESPN. \u201cI mean, it\u2019s the emotional fatigue, it\u2019s the physical fatigue, it\u2019s the grind-of-the-season fatigue. And when you\u2019re not winning, obviously, that\u2019s the frustration fatigue. So, a little combination of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n
This marks the second time in two weeks that James has missed the second game of a back-to-back schedule.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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