Even with Kobe Bryant officially retired from the game of basketball, the five time NBA Champion has still found a way into news headlines.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Bryant divulged that whenever the Lakers played against other squads with players who signed maximum contracts and players up for free agency, the Lakers would double-team the soon-to-be free agent.
“When we play them during the season, we’re saying, “Okay, this is what we are going to do.’ We’re going to double-team the guy that hasn’t gotten the max contract yet. We’re not going to let him get a shot off. Then we’re going to single cover the guy that has the max contract. And then watch the guy that doesn’t have the max contract bitch and complain about not getting the ball all night long. And just watch them divide each other.”
One guy who has been impressed with Bryant for years is hoops streetball legend, Pee Wee Kirkland. A star at Manhattan’s Charles Evans Hughes High School in the 1960’s, Sports Illustrated once called Kirkland: ‘maybe the fastest man in college basketball.’
By the way, hip hop culture became familiar with Kirkland when The Clipse let ya’ll all know that they were ‘legends in two games like Pee Wee Kirkland.
Kirkland was a guest on this week’s episode of the Scoop B Radio podcast and was in awe in what Bryant did during his 20 year career.
“Kobe Bryant was the classic example of greatness in street basketball crossing over into the NBA,” said Kirkland. “Now the NBA has gone global on the backs of players like Kobe Bryant.”
Drafted in the 1969 NBA Draft by the Chicago Bulls, Kirkland averaged 41 points per game in
community college before transferring to Norfolk State. Kirkland would never play in the NBA
because he made more money in illegal street activity.The fast life and fast cars caught up with him and in 1971 Kirkland was convicted of conspiracy to sell narcotics. He’d spend ten years in prison. While locked up, Kirkland played in the Anthracite Basketball League. In one game, his team scored 228 points
and Kirkland dropped 135 points.
Since his release in 1981, Kirkland travels around the world talking to kids about not making some of the mistakes that he made.Kirkland believes that Bryant had the advantage of learning the game from his father, Joe Bryant a former Philadelphia 76ers.
Kirkland really digs Bryant. “When you look at a guy like Kobe Bryant, he mostly reflects individual greatness,” Kirkland told Scoop B Radio host, Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson.
“Kobe won with Shaq, he won without Shaq and he proved himself as an individual without him having to have great players around him because he reflected individual greatness.”
