Former Lakers Teammate Explains Why “Nobody Liked” Kobe Bryant

Kobe Bryant’s legacy forever hovers above the NBA. The Black Mamba had one of the most accomplished resumes in the league’s long history. The only aspect that matched Bryant’s immense skill on the court was the burning fire he had to be the best. The intensity was respected by most, but it did leave an impression of the NBA legend that some didn’t like. That includes his teammates.

Sasha Vujačić was someone who shared the battlefield with The Mamba. The Slovenian star spoke about his days on the Lakers during a recent interview on the Out The Mud podcast. Despite speaking highly of the five-time NBA Champion, the subject of Bryant’s hard-headedness was mentioned.

Bryant famously had outbursts toward his teammates, including with Shaquille O’Neal and later younger talent like Jeremy Lin. His desire to win sometimes outweighed his etiquette towards those he played alongside. The ones Bryant pushed away probably weren’t interested in playing the game in that fashion, but the ones who understood what he was doing learned about the fight it takes to be a champion.

“Nobody liked Kobe, let’s be honest. Everybody was jealous. Hated him because he was different,” said Vujačić. The admission wasn’t so much news, but a reminder that not every hero left the same image of their legacy on the game. Fortunately for Vujačić, he was able to win the late basketball icon’s respect. “We just kind of connected, he knew he could count on me,” The Machine added.

Fans have always loved Bryant despite his out-of-the-box efforts to win. Vujačić was mainly speaking about players in the league who couldn’t see the same vision of basketball that Bryant did. It’s a vision that Vujačić himself saw and helped him earn the clutch gene during one of the Lakers’ biggest matchups.

Vujačić showed Bryant’s tough mentality rubbed off on him in the 2010 NBA Finals

Later in Vujačić’s Out The Mud interview he spoke about the intensity that the Mamba brought mentally, one that would challenge his teammates to step up.

“There were not many who could follow that pace, that intensity,” said Vujačić. “He gets into your psyche, and once that happens, we knew we were golden.” Well, Vujačić never had a mentally stronger moment than in game 7 of the NBA Finals against the Purple and Gold’s arch-nemesis, the Boston Celtics.

Up 81-79 with 13 seconds to go, Vujačić was put into the game by Phil Jackson and was immediately fouled by the Celtics. He had only played five minutes at that point and was shooting two clutch free throws to ice the game. the Machine swished both, which helped the Lakers, and an exuberant Bryant, win another NBA Championship.

It goes to show you that Kobe wasn’t for everyone. But years after playing alongside him, Vujačić remembers what an impact he had on the game.

About the author

Joseph Galizia

Joseph is a Las Vegas based actor and circus performer. For the last seven years he's had the pleasure of covering sports for multiple outlets, including the Lifestyles section of Sports Illustrated. In that time, he's conducted over 50 interviews with athletes, filmmakers, and company founders to further cement his footprint in the journalism world. He's excited to bring that skillset to the SportsRush, where he'll be covering the NBA news cycle.

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