Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant did not waste time ripping his 'soft teammates' in his first practice this December in the team's training facility in El Segundo, California.
Bryant, who has been given the privilege to skip practices by head coach Byron Scott to offset the wear-and-tear of a long season, made Thursday's five-on-five scrimmage really intense as he traded barbs with fellow swingman Nick Young and then verbally criticized Jeremy Lin.
According to a source, the game between the starters and the reserves began to heat up when Young challenged the Lakers superstar to guard him. And as expected, Bryant went full barrage at his teammate.
"Nobody in the world can guard me one-on-one," Bryant telling Young, "You're going exactly where I want you to go," according to ESPN Lakers reporter Arash Markazi.
"You m-----f------ are soft like Charmin in this m-----f-----. God damn, is this the type of s--- that's going on in these practices? Now I see why we've lost 20 f---ing games. We're soft like Charmin. We're soft like s---.
Lin, who is now serving as a backup point guard after starting for 21 games with the Lakers, also did not dodge the verbal onslaught as he received a mouthful once again from Bryant.
"This m-----f----- don't got s---. He ain't got s--- right now. Shoot! Shoot!" After Lin missed a pull-up jumper, Bryant said, "I talked his ass right into that bulls---. I talked his ass right into that bulls---."
Disappointments and frustrations have been the major storyline for the Lakers organization this season. While they were not expected to become a playoff contender in a very tough Western Conference, their current 6-16 record is simply unacceptable for a proud franchise like the Lakers.
Bryant, who is averaging 25 points on 39 percent shooting this season, has received criticisms for taking too much field goal shots every game and not letting his teammates involved. Then again, the lack of high-caliber talent from top to bottom is viewed as another culprit to their nightmarish season so far.
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