The Los Angeles Lakers have long been one of the NBA's destination franchises, but recently, the team has had a tough time finding star players to pair with Kobe Bryant. There's been speculation that the future Hall of Famer's dominating presence has scared off prospective free agents, who recognize the role Bryant has in Los Angeles.
Jeanie Buss says any free agent afraid to play with Kobe Bryant is “a loser”
If a free agent doesn’t want to sign with the Lakers because of Kobe Bryant, team president Jeanie Buss seems quite alright with that.
Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports
Lakers president Jeanie Buss responded to that idea Thursday, calling any player who’s afraid to play with Kobe “a loser” during an appearance on Sportscenter.
"Any free agent that would be afraid to play with Kobe Bryant is probably a loser, and I'm glad they wouldn't come to the team," Buss said.
Everybody knows Bryant’s reputation as an intense, critical leader, but earlier this week, ESPN.com published a lengthy feature detailing the Lakers’ struggles to build a team around the aging superstar. One of the primary themes of the article was Bryant’s presence discouraging other players from wanting to play in L.A.
However, Buss doesn’t agree with the many anonymous sources used by ESPN, and said as much Thursday.
“I read the story,” Buss said Thursday. “I don’t agree with any of it. If there is somebody that’s on our payroll who is saying things like that, I’ll soon get to the bottom of it, and they won’t be working for us anymore.”
Bryant, 36, is in the first year of a two-year, $48.5 million contract extension that makes him the highest-paid player in the league. The Lakers signed the deal after losing their other superstar, Dwight Howard, to the Houston Rockets in a borderline unprecedented move. Los Angeles then failed in its attempts to sign stars like Carmelo Anthony and Chris Bosh over the summer, and now projects as one of the weaker teams in the Western Conference.
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