Kobe’s Teammates Lauded For Ability To Stay Out Of The Way

LOS ANGELES--Kobe Bryant may have done the unthinkable Sunday night by scoring 81 points, but it would not have been possible without his teammates. Players like Lamar Odom, Chris Mihm, and Smush Parker didn’t fill up the stat sheet, but they contributed to Kobe’s record-breaking night by passing the ball to him and then deftly getting out of his way.

“This is definitely a team accomplishment,” Bryant told reporters after the game. “It’s not easy getting out of the way like my teammates did. At one point I almost tripped over Smush Parker on my way down the court, but he was so quick that he just dove out of the way. He actually landed in the first row of seats. He had blood pouring down his face. Talk about a warrior. I’ll go to battle with that guy any day of the week.”

Bryant also cited Odom, who took only 7 shots in his quest to help Kobe reach his milestone.

“Lamar is a great teammate. I told him at the beginning of this season that he really needed to practice getting out of the way. And he has. I especially liked when he intercepted that pass from Luke [Walton] that was intended for Kwame Brown and sent it right over to me. Luke made a mistake passing that ball to Kwame, and Lamar stepped in and corrected it. But that’s how this team is. We’re constantly picking each other up.”

One play in particular epitomized the getting-out-of-the-way ability of Bryant’s teammates. During the fourth quarter, while the Lakers were staging their comeback, Bryant grabbed a defensive rebound and began dribbling down the court. Each member of the Lakers then simultaneously fell to the floor and curled up in the fetal position to make sure they didn’t interfere with Bryant’s fast break. The result of the play? A two-point slam dunk.

Said Luke Walton: “That’s just teamwork right there. We just wanted to make sure we were not in his path to the basket, and also make sure he didn’t get any stupid ideas to pass it to us. We don’t want the ball. Seriously, everyone here knows we are better off just deferring to Kobe in those situations. In fact, if he starts trying to distribute the ball more often, I’m asking for a trade. I’m here to win a championship, not miss shots.”

In the past, Bryant has been criticized for his failure to get his teammates involved. Many critics say that he will never reach the level of Michael Jordan, simply because he can’t make those around him better.

Coach Phil Jackson, however, has asked Bryant not to change a thing.

“I coached both Kobe and MJ, and I know what each player can do. Who would you rather have shooting the ball, Kobe or somebody named Smush Parker? How about Devean George? Exactly. These guys are very, very good at not shooting the ball, and we want to put them in a position to exploits those talents. That’s why I’m such a great coach. I know how to get the most out of my players, or in this case, the least.”

But Kobe has bigger goals than winning a scoring title or breaking individual records. He wants to bring another championship to LA, and he’s made it clear that he can’t do it without his teammates.

“Obviously my number one goal is to win a championship,” he said. “The reward is so great. I’ll get to say that I brought yet another championship to the fans of LA, and my teammates get to say that they stood aside and watched the whole thing. They’re going to be witnesses to history! Talk about being in an elite club. They ’ll be right up there with Jack Nicholson and Diane Cannon.”

To show his appreciation after Sunday’s game, Bryant bought each of this teammates a brand new Rolex watch. The expensive, top-of-the-line time pieces were engraved with each player’s name and a personal message from Kobe: “Stay out of my way – KB”