Gayle King Receives Heavy Backlash Over Kobe Bryant Rape Question

BYAlexander Cole14.4K Views
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Gayle King
Some felt like the question was inappropriate.

Kobe Bryant's death came as a huge shock to the NBA community and people are still mourning his tragic passing. While many are showing respect for Bryant, others are taking the opportunity to question his legacy over the rape allegations he faced during the early 2000s. Many have found the inquiries to be malicious and untimely especially when you consider how his family is still grieving. Perhaps the most egregious example of this came recently when Gayle King interviewed former WNBA star Lisa Leslie about Bryant. At one point, King began to hound Leslie about the allegations against Kobe and whether or not they "complicate" what he did for the game.

Leslie was quick to point out that it's a non-issue for her and that the Kobe she knows would never have done such a thing. "It's not complicated for me at all," she said. "Even if there's a few times that we've been at a club at the same time, Kobe's not the kind of guy, never been, like, 'Lis, go get that girl, or tell her, or send her this.' I have other NBA friends that are like that. Kobe, he was never like that."

Following the airing of the interview, King received a heavy dose of backlash as fans took to Twitter to criticize the CBS journalist. Kobe fans were amongst those outraged by the interview as they claimed King was trying to smear his legacy. 

Check out some of the reactions to interview, below, and let us know what you thought about King's questions.

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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