Kobe Bryant Admits He Once Made a Lakers Teammate Cry, Responds to Larry Nance Jr. Tweet

Quotes from an interview conducted by Jemele Hill to Kobe Bryant at the BET Awards.

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Complex Original

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Kobe Bryant did an interview with Jemele Hill for the BET "Genius Talks" and a bunch of interesting quotes made their way out of it. Here are the best, as relayed by a man who covers the Lakers for a living, ESPN writer Baxter Holmes. We'll start with a great (though completely unsurprising) quote:

Hill: Worst thing you’ve ever said to a teammate?

Kobe: I have made somebody cry before.

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 28, 2015

Feel free to guess who because he didn't elaborate:

Hill asked who the player was. Kobe danced around the identity of the player, didn’t reveal it.

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 28, 2015

Another tidbit that didn't exactly shock us:

Kobe did say that he once told a teammate to “reconsider your life purpose.”

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 28, 2015

He also revealed the first date he and his wife went on. Take notes fellas:

Kobe said his first date with his wife was at TGI Fridays and then they saw "Sleepy Hollow" after that.

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 28, 2015

He gave his way too competitive take on friendship:

Kobe is asked about not being a great friend all the time.

His response: "Friends come and go but banners hang forever."

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 28, 2015

He corrected the record that this upcoming season will definitely be his last:

Kobe says at the end of the upcoming season, if he feels like playing another season, he will. If not, he won’t.

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 28, 2015

And addressed that tweet that Lakers first rounder Larry Nance Jr. sent out that appeared destined to make the first practice more awkward than Urkel:

Kobe on Larry Nance tweet & talking to him about it: “There’s no need. The kid figured it out himself…He sent me a great message yesterday."

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 28, 2015

Kobe on Nance Jr. tweet: "He was really nice and apologetic about what happened.” Kobe said he told him, "It’s water under the bridge, man."

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 28, 2015

Finally he gave himself a label that's open to interpretation, it probably means he's a grumpy veteran:

Kobe referred to himself as the “basketball Gran Torino”: pic.twitter.com/UhjmLyym3K

— Baxter Holmes (@Baxter) June 28, 2015

But then again, who the hell knows?

[via @BaxterHolmes]

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