Former LA Lakers star Trevor Ariza recently sat down with Shannon Sharpe on his Club Shay Shay podcast. Having won the 2009 NBA championship with the late great Kobe Bryant, Ariza was asked a range of questions about his time with the Lakers legend. Revealing how Kobe would interact with the rest of the team behind the scenes, the 38-year-old claimed that he never experienced the hot-headed version of Kobe as a youngster.
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Instead, Bryant was respectful to not just Ariza, but the entire Lakers team at this point. During the show, Sharpe brought up how Kobe had a reputation for being extremely harsh on his teammates, even telling players to take off their ‘Kobe’ shoes because they had a bad game. While Ariza acknowledged that there’s some truth behind it, he admitted that he himself did not see it first-hand.
“I didn’t experience that Kobe. Our team was not like that team, or the teams that he had where he talked to them that way,” Ariza said, before talking about his own mentality as a youngster.
“I don’t care. I was 22 at the time. So I was a younger player. But my mentality never was one of a younger player…I am on the same thing you all are. So my mentality was a bit different,” he added.
Hence, Ariza already had the kind of mentality that Bryant expected from his teammates, something the 38-year-old believes played a part in stipulating Kobe’s behavior towards his then teammates. Besides, Ariza’s side had great players like Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum, who helped the Mamba win the 2009 and 2010 NBA Championships. Therefore, Kobe didn’t need to be harsh on Ariza and his teammates.
Trevor Ariza played an important role in the 2009 Lakers championship
Ariza himself played a crucial role in the Lakers’ 2009 championship run. An important role player, he registered an average of 8.9 points and 4.3 rebounds and started 20 games.
He was one of the most talented players in the roster alongside the likes of Kobe himself, and Pau Gasol. Ariza claimed that he worked hard on a daily basis in order to earn respect in the team. The former NBA star may have won only 1 championship throughout his career. However, he played an important role in the 2009 Lakers roster and earned the respect of his teammates, including both Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom.
