Quotes
Quotes From and About Kobe Bryant
"We were getting back in the second half. That's
exactly what our game is all about. Sometimes I might
get a little too hyped up. I think I did tonight, but I liked
it."
-Kobe, after scoring 23 of his 32 in the second half in a
101-95 victory over the Suns. (March 4, 1999)
"Rick gave us a big lift. He's a sparkplug."
-Kobe on the spark that Rick Fox provided in the fourth
quarter.(March 4, 1999)
"I think it can only make the team better. Why not have
all of us crashing the boards? Why not just dominate
the boards, and dominate the game?"
-Kobe, on the arrival of the Worm. (February 26, 1999)
"It looked good, I said, `That looks pretty.' "
-Kobe on his last second shot, which missed, during their
101-99 loss to the Pacers. (February 14, 1999)
"Who else are they going to put on me. They had a
small lineup, and I just took advantage."
-Kobe on the Nuggets line-up which included Stith. (February
11, 1999)
"It was just like last year in the playoffs. Utah plays us
differently than other teams do. They're not going to
come down and double right away. They're going to
dig in with Stockton, so we're just going to have to get
some ball movement."
-Kobe after 100-91 loss to Utah on how the Jazz play the
Lakers. (February 8, 1999)
"It kind of reminded us how important execution is, not
only on the offensive end, but the defensive end. If we
want to get the championship, we've got to execute."
-Kobe after his 16 point, 12 rebound performance in the loss
to Utah. (February 8, 1999)
"He (Jerry West) doesn't sit back and wait to see what's
going to happen. So far, what he's done for this team
has been a good thing. He's won a lot of
championships. I'm just going to follow his lead."
-Kobe Bryant, on the ability of Laker general manager Jerry
West to put together a championship team. (Jan. 21, 1999)
"That shouldn't be in his head. Kobe should just
concentrate on being the first Kobe, rather than the
next Michael. Guys like Mike only come around every
10 years."
-Shaquille O'Neal expresses his view on Laker teammate
Kobe Bryant becoming the new carrier of the torch for the
NBA after the departure of Michael Jordan. (Jan. 13, 1999)
"Not really. If you're afraid to fail, you're never going to
achieve. He's not afraid. The thing that sets him apart
is that he's just willing to try anything to get better."
-Jerry West, the Lakers' executive vice president and a star
during his playing days, when asked if it had been
necessary to speak with Bryant about missed shots and lost
confidence.
"I'm going to have one of those big (hairdos). Just like
Dr. J (Hall of Famer Julius Erving). It'll be blowin' in the
wind."
-Kobe on his departure from the dome - his head that is.
"Playing (small forward) is fine with me. I'm just
looking forward to playing. Learning the new position,
you're making yourself a well-rounded basketball
player, and this is going to make the team better, too.
It's fine. It's a lot of fun."
-Kobe on playing some small forward and off-guard during
training camp in Palm Desert, California.
"Again, Kobe is the kind of guy who's like (Scottie)
Pippen or (Michael) Jordan, in the sense that you can
just stick them out there and they can play. If they end
up with the ball in their hands, they can simulate a
point guard. Otherwise, they can play two (off guard) or
three, and they're all strong enough that they can
guard most of the twos or threes."
-Lakers coach Del Harris on Kobe's flexibility on the court.
"No one ever questioned his one-on-one skills, or even
his team skills. But he didn't have college as a
transition, to (advance) from where he could dominate
everybody he played and do virtually what he wanted
without paying a price. There's almost no
embarrassment factor for him against high school kids;
he could make a mistake come out all right, because
he's so good. He would have gotten into some
situations in college where he would have gotten
stopped and had to adjust. The good news is that he's
consciously working at it, and he's making good
progress."
-Coach Harris on Kobe's adjustment to the pro game