MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Kobe Bryant is nearing the end of a remarkable 20-season NBA career, but if the Los Angeles Lakers icon could go back in time and offer advice to himself as a rookie, what would he say?
"It's hard to tell somebody -- a player at that age -- to understand compassion and empathy, but that would be my advice," the 37-year-old Bryant said after Sunday's 112-96 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum. "It tends to come with time."
The hard-charging Bryant has had a notoriously contentious history with several teammates and coaches, and he has often been cited as being a factor -- if not the factor -- in why some players leave the Lakers or why some free agents never join.