via Getty
14 August 2008, Beijing, China — NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James of the U.S. looks on from the bench during the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games. Photo by Victor Fraile — Image by © Victor Fraile/Corbis (Photo by Victor Fraile/Corbis via Getty Images)
via Getty
14 August 2008, Beijing, China — NBA’s Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James of the U.S. looks on from the bench during the Beijing 2008 Olympics Games. Photo by Victor Fraile — Image by © Victor Fraile/Corbis (Photo by Victor Fraile/Corbis via Getty Images)
Kevin Durant and LeBron James are two of the best players in the past decade. However, they are widely criticized for changing teams and joining a stronger team in order to win championships.
For instance, LeBron joined the Miami Heat and won his first NBA championship. Similarly, Kevin Durant joined the Golden State Warriors and won back-to-back NBA championships in 2017 and 2018.
USA Today via Reuters
February 18, 2018; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Team LeBron forwards LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers (23) and Kevin Durant (35) of the Golden State Warriors react before the 2018 NBA All Star Game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant was not a fan of this. During an interview, he talked about how a leader should have the courage to accept both failure and success in front of his fans. Moreover, he openly named LeBron and Durant while talking about jumping ship to win.
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Kobe said, “You can’t just because the ship is sinking all of a sudden, jump off and swim to another ship. You can win championships in front of everybody, then you can miss the playoffs in front of everybody. You gotta be able to take both sides of it.“
Never forget Kobe’s jab toward LeBron and Kevin Durant 😭 pic.twitter.com/MJ4m8DrAwk
— HOOP SMART (@hoopsmart) June 26, 2022
He added, “Durant’s been a friend for a very very long time, so is LeBron and all those guys. Would I make the same decision? No. But, that’s their decision.“
Safe to say, fans were not happy. As the clip does the rounds of the internet, fans on Twitter have left no stone unturned to call out Kobe for his words.
Fans on Twitter called out Kobe Bryant for criticizing LeBron James and Durant
Kobe Bryant is the definition of loyalty. The Los Angeles Lakers legend spent his entire career in the franchise and won 5 NBA titles in the process. Moreover, he has numerous other individual accolades to his name.
However, fans were not happy when Bryant made comments regarding LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Here are some of the reactions.
i love kobe but i feel like he's being a hypocrite here man.. it's easy for him to say that when he won rings early on in his time w the lakers bc he had shaq helping him. kobe also did try to leave la when he wasnt winning. kd spent 9 years in okc without a ring before leaving
— kd is the goat (@thect1450) June 26, 2022
Why did Kobe try to force his way out of LA so many times? I get revisionist history but Kobe tried the same thing but just unsuccessful attempts
— honestly , stfu (@1WholeLottaKash) June 26, 2022
Easy to say when your ship is the LAKERS vs the Cavs & OKC's little paddle boat
— Malachi (RewindMyFind) (@RewindMyFind) June 26, 2022
Yeah I love Kobe but he was thinking about going to the bulls and clippers when he thought the lakers couldn’t contend in 06-7-8
— Chris Covello (@ChrisC6_3) June 27, 2022
I mean it’s easy to say that when you’re playing for the best sports organization in basketball history
— Hash Slinging Slasher ⚔️👺 (@Swvggy3) June 27, 2022
While the fans were respectful of the late legend, they still called him out for his comments.
Has Kobe played against LeBron and Durant?
Kobe Bryant spent a long time in the NBA. During his time, he played against numerous legends including LeBron and Durant. Kobe has played 22 games against LeBron with the latter winning 16 games.
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On the other hand, Bryant has played 36 games against Durant with the Lakers legend winning 19 of them. However, Durant has a better record in the playoffs winning 6 games against Kobe.
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Do you agree with Kobe Bryant regarding his statements on LeBron James and Kevin Durant? Let us know in the comments down below.
