One thing you can never say about Kobe Bryant is that he’s inconsistent with whom he chooses to praise. Work your tail off regularly and you earn Kobe’s admiration publicly.
Thursday, Brian Phillips of Grantland.com published an article on Tony Allen’s impact on these playoffs, and Bryant wanted to spread the word.
Privately, and, occasionally, publicly, some teammates and opponents have drawn Kobe’s ire for not living up to his expectations of insane work ethic and otherworldly toughness (I’m not saying any names, Dwight Howard and Shaquille O’Neal).