With the Los Angeles Lakers season basically over before the All-Star break, point guard Kobe Bryant is demanding ownership trade him to the undefeated 19-0 Golden State Warriors.
Two days after giving every attendant at the Staples Center a poem written by Bryant on why this will be his last NBA season, the Laker great had a change of heart of staying with a losing team without any hope of winning a 6th championship.
“After thinking about the sissy poem I wrote, I realized I’m a competitor, I’m a winner, and I’ll be damned if I don’t get that 6th championship ring to tie Jordan,” said Bryant. “If I get 6, why not 7?
Michael Jordan won 6 championships with the Chicago Bulls, and without Kobe getting another ring, he’ll always be considered second fiddle to Air Jordan. Can Kobe live with that stat in the history books?
Bryant has thought about the trade prospect. “I’ll keep my shots down to 30 or 40 a game, I promise. And I’ll be a great mentor to Stephen Curry. He’s damn good, but I can make him better.
“If I’m being paid 25 million dollars this year, I might as well help out a winning team. That’s just the competitor in me. I want to get paid, and I want to win.
“I have my wife’s support, but I suppose I’ve put her through much worse than living in San Fransico for a few months.”
The uber-competitive basketball player wants to win again and will force the Lakers hand in getting what he wants. He must at least tie Jordan in championship rings, or he will feel his career was pointless. “I love LA, but this is just something I need to do; otherwise I’ll never hear the end of it playing with MJ on the golf course.
“Can I go another fifty years on this planet questioning why I didn’t pursue one more championship? What would you do in my position?”
Bryant is currently revising his new poem to express his desire to be traded to a contender. The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavilers are his only targets according to his agent.
