EL SEGUNDO – Byron Scott finished addressing his team Saturday night in Portland. At a time when players would normally head to the showers or start talking among themselves, Kobe Bryant spoke up.
For the first time this season, the outgoing superstar lit into his team. The Lakers (9-37) had just lost their sixth game in a row. Each was by at least 13 points, and the Lakers were barely competitive in any of them.
“Frustration kind of took over,” Scott said, “and he said what he needed to say.”
Jordan Clarkson, arguably the Lakers’ most consistent player this season, said Bryant essentially challenged his younger teammates to step up.