Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has heard how some of his most die-hard fans might have an issue with LeBron James joining the Los Angeles Lakers.
Bryant says if those people are fans of his, they will “fall in line.”
“I hear that,” Bryant said when asked on “The Rich Eisen Show” whether he is aware that some of his fans have an issue with James being a part of the Lakers family. “But listen, if you are fan of mine, you are a fan of winning, you are a fan of the Lakers. I bleed purple and gold. So that is above anything else.
“I have been a Lakers fan since I was yay high. That is never going to change. Right? [It] is about winning championships. So they’ll fall in line.”
Bryant was asked whether James has to lead the Lakers back to a championship in order to be viewed in the same light as Bryant, who won five championships during his 20-year career with the franchise.
“I don’t know, making the comparison of him being viewed in the similar vein as me, that doesn’t make much sense,” Bryant told Eisen. “I think the goal is always to win championships. No matter where you go, that is the goal. And that is his goal, that is Rob’s [Pelinka] goal, that is Magic’s [Johnson] goal, Jeanie’s [Buss] goal, [Rajon] Rondo, all the guys, [Kyle] Kuzma, Lonzo [Ball], they all want to win championships. That is what they are gunning for
Bryant, who just turned 40 years old, also laughed off any notion of him making a comeback and returning from retirement.
“There is about a zero percent chance that I come back and play,” Bryant said after laughing when asked about a rumor of him coming out of retirement. “Nothing. Done. That’s it.”
Seeing Kobe come back to play with LeBron on the Lakers would be pretty fricking cool. Kobe knows his legacy is doing great, why ruin it by playing when you’re body tells you you’re not supposed to. LeBron will feel his way into the hearts of all Lakers fans, but winning quickly will help that process along.
