[h1]Kobe Bryant On SNR: 'For Me, It's All About the June Result'[/h1]
A Sporting News panel of experts recently chose
Kobe Bryant(notes) as the NBA's best player. And Bryant is making the panel look smart, averaging 28.9 points and leading the team to an NBA-best 16-3 record, including nine straight wins. Bryant, in an interview with Sporting News Radio host Tim Montemayor on The Monty Show, talked about the SN ranking.
Sporting News: Sporting News says you're the best player in the NBA. How does that make you feel?
Kobe Bryant: It's a tremendous honor. There's so many great players, and for me, I'm just content with being one of them.
SN: It is interesting, the rivalry for you and
LeBron James(notes). He's No. 2, and you're No. 1. Is there anything there for you, or is that just the hype?
KB: Nah, you know I think it's just the hype of it all. There's so many players in their own right,
Dwyane Wade(notes),
Carmelo Anthony(notes), all those guys that I respect a great deal, but for me, particularly at this point in my career, it's all about the June result as opposed to what happens during the other months of the year.
SN: You've spent time with some pretty amazing people in your life. You spent time around Hakeem (Olajuwon) over the summer, Bill Russell-do you ever consider the effect that those guys have on your game?
KB: All the time, and I'm so grateful for the time that I've had with those guys, whether it's conversations or even on the court. These are players that I've watched and patterned my game after growing up. Then having the opportunity to speak with them and learn from them, I've been very fortunate in that regard.
http://SN: Do you consider yourself in their class? Because you're a great player, you've got the rings, and you've done pretty much everything, but is that surreal for you?
KB: It is surreal, and it's hard for me to say I'm better than any of those players because I've learned so much from them. They've really showed me a lot about the game, how to prepare, how to study and things like that. There's so much of them that lives in me.
SN: Do you ever look back on your career, and think, "Did I really go through all of that, did that really happen to me?" Is it like a movie playing in your head?
KB: (Laughs) You know, about a week ago … I don't sleep much, but this one night I was in deep sleep, and I woke up sweating, and I was like, "Oh, man, I've got to win a ring!" But then I realized it was just a dream, and I breathed a sigh of relief … it was just a nightmare (laughs).
SN: So do you ever take a step back and accept the things you've accomplished in your career?
KB: Well, yeah, I enjoy doing it a great deal, and I've really been fortunate to be in the situations I've been put in. But at the same time I'm driven towards winning another one because it's such a challenge that I'm really focused on that. … But yeah, I definitely appreciate everything I've done.
SN: Let me ask you, though, about LeBron because you guys are so similar in personality and in career paths. Is he a peer to you, or how do you evaluate his stature in your career?
KB: Well, it was different for me because when I came out of high school I was drafted by a contender. We had
Eddie Jones(notes), who was an All-Star two guard. I came off the bench for my first three years, so it's a little different. I wasn't playing 40 minutes a game my first few years in the league. LeBron is a phenomenal, phenomenal talent, and he's an even better person.
SN: And I ask you that because you're both mega personalities, and I wonder … he's kind of the next you. You were the next MJ and a lot of people think he's the next you.
KB: (Laughs) Well, I see that, and it definitely makes for an exciting NBA … and I wouldn't discount Dwyane Wade either. I'll put him in that same class as well, but it's definitely been fun.
SN: You know you broke Dwyane Wade's heart the other night (hitting the game-winning shot against the Heat)?
KB: (Laughs) We talked the other night-we're really great friends and had a good conversation after that.
SN: It was interesting to see your intensity and hear him say he knew they were in trouble when you got the ball. You're a killer out there on the court, and you take pride in making those shots, right?
KB: Well, yeah, I like those moments. Those moments are fun. It's a chance to do something fun because unlike all the shots I take over the summer, all I have to do in those moments is make one to get us a win … but that game against Miami, I've never practiced that shot in my life.
SN: How good are you guys this year, and do you think you're better than you were last year?
KB: I think we're better because we gained a lot of experience last year and because of that we're better and will continue to get better. Everyone on our team has a high basketball IQ, and I think because of that we try to think the game through and improve each other's games.
SN: The first time you heard
Ron Artest(notes) was going to be a Laker, what went through your mind?
KB: I honestly was sad because we had just won a championship and had great chemistry with Trevor (Ariza), and Trevor was like a brother and still is. So I was sad to see him go … I think we all were. At the same time, our relationship isn't going to change, but now it's time to welcome in a new brother into our family, which is Ron. So I quickly shifted from being sad Trevor was gone to being happy Ron was coming in.
SN: But you guys almost threw down last year. It's always been intense with you guys throughout your careers-none of those thoughts went through your head? You weren't at least happy that he wasn't checking you anymore?
KB: Absolutely not, are you kidding? I was excited to face him every day in practice. When he got here and Phil (Jackson) put us on the same team I immediately took my jersey off, switched teams and told him we were going straight up.
SN: I had the fortune to speak with Tim Donaghy, who specifically wrote about you in his book, and said the NBA was going out of their way to give you calls when you were going against
Raja Bell(notes), and I wonder what you think about that.
KB: Well, when you clothesline someone on the court you probably do get watched a little closer than the rest of the guys (laughs) … I'm just saying.
SN: Does it bother you at all? Because I don't think anyone is saying you need calls …
KB: Nah, man. To my knowledge every team does that with their players-it's just a matter of the player and sending the footage to the league, but I don't think we're any different than any other team in the league.
SN: The other thing that Donaghy said is that you're a superstar and you get the calls because of that. Do you have relationships with officials?
KB: Well, we definitely have relationships in terms of communicating as much as we can, and that's true across the board. On this team, Derek (Fisher) and I are the captains, and we do the majority of talking to the officials, but not every team is the same. I don't see that as beneficial, but for that stuff to come out like the Raja Bell stuff, I think that stuff adds a little twist to our playoff series-even though they won that series anyways because Raja's a terrific defensive player.
SN: By the way, he also said you guys got the calls against the Kings during those epic series with Sacramento, and the league wanted you guys to win that series.
KB: Well, I don't know about that … they missed all those free throws (laughs) so that might have had something to do with it.
SN: You're a Philly guy.
Allen Iverson(notes) is back with the Sixers-how do you feel about that?
KB: I really am happy for him because I feel that's a place he never should have left to begin with. That's his city and his place, they love him down there, and I'm happy to see him back.
Link:
http://sports.yahoo.com/n...p;prov=tsn&type=lgns
For the peeps to lazy to read here is the audio version of the same interview:
http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=ArnGGh...f6162ec.mp3&title=The%20top%20of%20his%20game
