Kobe Bryant Explains How Hornets GM Disrespected Him After Lakers Trade

BYAlexander Cole7.1K Views
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Kobe Bryant
Kobe says it was triggering experience.

Kobe Bryant is one of the best players to ever step on a basketball court and for close to 20 years, he played with the Los Angeles Lakers. It's almost unfathomable to think Kobe could have played with any other team although many forget he was drafted by the Charlotte Hornets. Bryant's tenure with the team was short-lived as he was immediately traded to the Lakers on the day he was drafted. 

During a recent appearance on the Knuckleheads podcast, Bryant spoke about what it was like being traded and how he was disrespected by the GM of the Hornets, Bob Bass. Bass came across pretty salty over trading Bryant and had some interesting words for him while delivering the news he was going to Los Angeles.

We couldn’t have used you anyway,” Bass told Kobe. As you can imagine, Bryant was pretty shocked by the comments and they ended up motivating him. “I was triggered. I was ready to go to the gym.”

In the end, Kobe got the last laugh as he went on to win five NBA championships while the Hornets have been irrelevant for decades. Despite being owned by Michael Jordan, the Hornets have yet to find success and are headed into yet another rebuild. Having said all that, we're sure Bryant is happy with how things turned out.

[Via]


About The Author
Alexander Cole is the current editor-in-chief of HotNewHipHop. He started at HotNewHipHop back in 2018 where he began as a Sports and Sneakers writer. It was here where he began to hone his craft, putting his journalism degree from Concordia University in Montreal, Quebec, to good use. Since that time, he has documented some of the biggest stories in the hip-hop world. From the Kendrick Lamar and Drake beef to the disturbing allegations against Diddy, Alex has helped HotNewHipHop navigate large-scale stories as they happen. In 2021, he went to the Bahamas for the Big 3's Championship Game. It was here where he got to interview legendary figures like Ice Cube, Clyde Drexler, and Stephen Jackson. He has also interviewed other superstar athletes such as Antonio Brown, Damian Lillard, and Paul Pierce. This is in addition to conversations with social media provocateurs like Jake Paul, and younger respected artists like Kaycyy, Lil Tecca, and Jeleel!
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