One of the greatest (and by “greatest” I mean “worst”) trends in the NBA is retired players talking about current players. Whether they’re salty like Charles Barkley or complimentary, they usually tend to say something that uhh . . . isn’t great.
Enter Kobe Bryant. The former MVP, who played 20 years with the Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 2016, was at Staples Center on Monday for the Lakers’ annual “All-Access” event. He spoke at length about the current trajectory of the franchise, and heaped on praise for LeBron James, while sounding very optimistic about the future in LakerLand.