Kobe Bryant Tried to Cause a Rift Between Good Friends Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant

Kobe Bryant is regarded as one of the best players to ever play in the NBA. Despite all his achievements on the basketball court, his influence on the game overall outweighs it all.

Eminent journalist Adrian Wojnarowski gave a recent insight on a rare Kobe Bryant story. According to him, the Los Angeles Lakers legend tried to cause a rift between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook during their time in the USA team.

Kobe Bryant tried to cause a rift 

Regarded by many as one of the greatest players ever, Kobe Bryant has won it all on the basketball court. Moreover, his achievements off the court make him even greater.

The United States of America has one of the best national teams in the world and dominates the Olympic games pretty much every time. Thanks to the talents in the NBA, the USA team is not short of elite players. In one such instance, in the National team, Kobe Bryant reportedly tried to cause a rift between Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

American journalist Adrian Wojnarowski gave details regarding Kobe trying to create a rift in his podcast. He said, “Kobe used Team USA [to play mind games]…Kobe would tell Westbrook, ‘Why do you keep letting KD win the scoring title? You should be winning the scoring title.‘” He adds, “He would get that in Westbrook’s head, to try to send him back to Oklahoma City to create friction.” 

All this happened during the 2012 London Olympics. Coming off a few months after Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Lakers, Kobe sure wanted to create friction in OKC.

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What is the relationship between KD and Westbrook?

The two played for the Oklahoma City Thunder and formed a formidable partnership. Their paths differed when Durant left for the Warriors in 2016.

Kevin Durant won the scoring title from 2010 to 2012 and he averaged 30.1, 27.7, and 28.0 points respectively. Westbrook took over the scoring title crown in the 2014-15 season when he posted 28.1 points per game.

The two played for eight seasons in the Oklahoma City Thunder. Their relationship ended abruptly when Durant signed for the Golden State Warriors. According to former teammate Anthony Morrow, their relationship is healing faster than people expect. He said, “I think that relationship is definitely far more healed than I think people realize.”

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