The NBA world was in shock following the 2007 gambling scandal. Over the years, fans have made that a thing of the past and moved on. However, there is someone who is still stuck in 2007. Recently, the accused ex-referee tried to ‘expose’ the late great Kobe Bryant based on his theories. As per the 56-year-old, there were plans in place for Bryant’s benefit.

This outrageous claim is about an athlete who is widely regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time. More importantly, Kobe’s excellence surpasses the limits of basketball and he is recognized as one of the very best athletes to ever exist. However, as per the ex-referee, the LA Lakers legend was being favored by the NBA.

Was Kobe Bryant favored by the league?

A lot has been said about the 5x NBA champion over the years. Rarely do we see someone try to diminish his achievements as the late legend was the epitome of hard work and perseverance. In his stellar career of 20 years, Kobe won five rings, made 18 All-Star appearances, won two Finals MVP, and was the league MVP in 2008. In addition to that, he also won two Olympic gold medals, while playing a crucial role in the 2008 Redeem Team dominance. As per the recent comments by the ex-referee, Kobe’s 33,643 career points were partially a product of the NBA’s doing.

Tim Donaghy, who was caught in a gambling scandal in 2007 was recently in conversation with DJ VLAD. He said that the NBA officials were being instructed to call more fouls on Raja Bell who famously carried the nickname “The Kobe Stopper”. As per Donaghy, such instructions were given because the league “wanted freedom of movement because they wanted higher scores in these games”.

The scandalous referee said that the officials were asked to watch the previous games and take notes. This was done to let “Kobe Bryant have the ability to score more points and do well.” Donaghy said that the officials agreed to such things because this improved their ratings, which in turn would get them more playoff games and “make more money”.

Donaghy didn’t cover himself in glory either as he was charged with betting on official NBA games as well. But do his claims hold weight?

Did the tactics benefit Kobe Bryant?

While the loud-mouthed ex-referee is pretty confident in his words, the reality tells a different story. In the Phoenix Suns playoff series that was cited by Donaghy, the Lakers ended up losing in game seven.

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Additionally, the Lakers legend had a rather tough time scoring in that series apart from game six where he dropped 50 points.

For the rest of the series, Kobe was unable to tackle their defense and the season average of 35.4 was brought down to 27.9.

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