Who would have thought that the NBA's greatest player since Michael Jordan would have to earn his spot on a basketball team?
Based on his career-low performance this season, Kobe Bryant is questionable in the eyes of Team USA head honcho Jerry Colangelo to save a spot for him on the squad for the 2016 Olympics. Colangelo detailed to USA Today that Bryant's spot needs to be earned like all the other team members.
Colangelo had this to say about the scenario:
“When I was approached originally about Kobe's interest in potentially playing in the Olympics — this goes back early last summer, I guess, or spring — and the concept being that it would be great to end a career, win a gold medal and ride off into the sunset. That was just thrown my way by his agent, Rob Pelinka. I just took it in and I said, ‘Rob, I don't rule anyone out, but it has got to be based on performance because there's so many people who want (to be on the team) — everyone wants to be on the roster.' So he says, ‘Well, absolutely, and that's how Kobe feels. He wants to earn it.' Well then a month later, the two of us were in New York at an NBA function, and Kobe and I had a chance to visit, and we talked about the same thing. He reiterated his interest, but also the fact that he didn't want any gifts, that he wanted to — if he wasn't capable of earning it, by his performance, then that was that.
This means that shooting guards like Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Klay Thompson, and DeMar DeRozan, who have been killing it for their respective teams, may usurp Kobe's spot if the Black Mamba doesn't start showing up on game day through the season. His swan song this season has no merit in the situation.
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[via USATodaySports]
