The first thing people say while describing Kobe Bryant is the winning attitude with which he operated. The second would be about how many people had beef with him because of his attitude. Yes, there are some who described him as arrogant.
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While there are people who back this notion about Bryant’s arrogance, former Laker rookie Javaris Crittenton is not one of them. He claims that Kobe was nice to him during his sole season in LA. Kobe, in fact, mentored Crittenton in the 2007-08 season.
The former guard opened up to Dwight Howard on the Above the Rim podcast about the tips, tricks, and advice the Black Mamba gave him. Crittenton, who expected Kobe to be dismissive of a rookie like him, was pleasantly surprised.
“Kobe used to come out of the game, talking to me, teaching me things. In practice, he used to pull me to the side, he took a liking to me,” said Crittenton.
The Lakers’ decision to trade him to the Memphis Grizzlies after just one season hurt him. Crittenton understood why the trade had to take place, with Pau Gasol joining the Lakers. But he still felt like his development was halted since he wasn’t able to work out with Kobe anymore.
“I hated the trade man, I hate that I got traded,” said Crittenton. “I mean, I understood it, but playing with that guy was just different, man. So we talked about how Phil handles rookies, and the things I went through, Kobe was nothing like that.”
Crittenton then narrated how Kobe would try everything in his power to get a reaction out of him during training — from trash talk, hard fouls, to seeking out the iso matchup. But the rookie didn’t relent. He claimed Kobe appreciated that, and that formed the basis of their relationship.
“I’ll say this, everybody’s entitled to their own perception. You had some of those guys that felt like he was arrogant, he was a d******d, you know I’m right here with my team, so I hear the stuff they say,” Crittenton said when Smush Parker’s recollection of Kobe stories came up in the discussion.
“I don’t know what y’all did to him, and everybody has their own thing, it’s different. Not to say that I’m dispelling anything, but I can only speak on me and him,” added Crittenton.
The former guard’s narrative paints a stellar image of Kobe — both as a teammate and a mentor. And from the way Crittenton spoke about him, it was clear that Bryant left a lasting impression on him in their short time together.
