Rewind to when an NBA agent revealed why players avoided playing with Kobe Bryant in his final years with the Lakers

The late Kobe Bryant is widely recognized as one of the greatest and most influential players in National Basketball Association (NBA) history, as evidenced by the numerous honors he earned during his illustrious career. 

However, in the final stages of Bryant’s career, the Los Angeles Lakers no longer felt like the team where dreams could be realized, and many believed that part of the problem stemmed from the presence of the “Black Mamba” himself. While Bryant was the face of the Lakers franchise, the team’s supporting players often became easy targets for both Bryant and the media when the team failed to meet expectations.

One prominent NBA agent claimed in 2014 that several of his clients avoided joining the Lakers because of Bryant’s reputation. “I have had a lot of clients in the last five years who didn’t want to play with Kobe. His teammates became the chronic public whipping boys. Anyone who even dared to challenge Kobe for the spotlight turned into the team scapegoat. That’s what happened with Shaq. It happened with Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard. Everyone got their turn,” the agent said.

“You motherf***ers are soft like Charmin…Now I see why we’ve lost 20 f***ing games.”

5 years ago today, Kobe Bryant had this epic rant during a Lakers practice.

pic.twitter.com/D6KzO9BEH0

— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) December 11, 2019

Notably, players were not leaving the Lakers because of losing seasons or injuries, but to avoid becoming scapegoats in the eyes of the media. The tense atmosphere surrounding the franchise led to a series of high-profile departures, with stars like Shaquille O’Neal, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard, and even Andrew Bynum eventually deciding to cut their losses and move on.

Despite the controversies, there is no doubt that Bryant carried the Lakers on his shoulders. He spent his entire 20-year career with the franchise, scoring 33,643 points and leading the team to five NBA championships. Among his many accolades, he was named the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), a two-time NBA Finals MVP, a four-time NBA All-Star Game MVP, a two-time NBA scoring champion, and the 1997 NBA Slam Dunk Contest champion, among numerous other honors.

Such was his impact that the Lakers retired both his No. 8 and No. 24 jerseys. Beyond the NBA, Bryant also played a pivotal role in leading the United States (Team USA) to gold medal victories at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games.

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