Few NBA tropes are more tried and true and yet so tired—or have been since the late Bill Clinton Administration—than this one.
But just because something can be true (and when your most trusted second option is this guy, why should we expect otherwise?) doesn’t mean it’s always been so.
Par example:
If that smile doesn’t say, “I enjoy sharing,” I don’t know what does.
Six thousand assists. Nope, never passes.
The feat—overshadowed somewhat by Bryant's first triple-double of the season (31 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists)—was unfurled in the midst of the Los Angeles Lakers' surprising 129-122 overtime win over the red-hot Toronto Raptors on Sunday night.
L.A. now boasts just a one-game cushion over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Reel for Jahlil [Okafor] Sweepstakes, while every team trails the Philadelphia 76ers.
To say it’s been a difficult year for the 36-year-old Bryant would be an understatement. On top of watching helplessly while his once-proud franchise sinks once again into lottery-bound irrelevance, Kobe himself is registering a career-low field-goal percentage of 39 percent.
Worse still for Lakers fans, the 19-year veteran recently admitted to USA Today’s Sam Amick that he can’t envision himself playing beyond his current two-year, $48.5 million contract:
"Nah, not really," Bryant said. "But I'm so loyal to this organization, there's not a chance (of him leaving)…I've been really fortunate to win a lot of games here, a lot of championships here. You can't (expletive) with (that)."
Cue our old friend Lloyd Christmas.
It’s not hard to appreciate Bryant’s reluctance. Following a pair of injury-deferred seasons, Bryant—buoyed by L.A.’s g...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
