If, and I highly emphasize if, there are any more bargaining session between NBA players and owners in the future then you can count Kobe Bryant out. Not that KB24or any of the NBA’s marquee names for that matter have been involved heavily to being with. Like most players involved in this labor debacle Bryant will be on the sideline awaiting the call to go back to work.
Last week Bryant spoke to a psychology class at UCSB. According to the OC Register when Bryant was asked what his thoughts were on one of the bargaining sessions he attended he said it was ”stupid and boring”.
Now far be it for me to question Janis Carr over at the Register. While I can’t confirm this is Bryant’s official stance on labor negotiations it wouldn’t be too surprising. In fact, I’m pretty sure Kobe speaks for a vast majority of players and owners that feel the same way.
That being said what this lockout needs is for guys like Kobe to start speaking up and being more involved. It’s all too easy to allow Derek Fisher and Maurice Evans to take the heat since that’s what their duties entail. Mind you Evans isn’t even an NBA player at the moment. He’s out of work but is still staying committed to his responsibilities.
When the NFL labor strife needed a face some of the biggest names in the game came forward with football golden boy himself, Tom Brady, actually putting his name on a lawsuit targeting the NFL owners.
Now that’s commitment.
Thus far the NBA players have been far too passive which is partly why we’re without pro ball for at least another month and a half.
Of course one could argue that even with a united front the players would still be facing the same stubborn demands of the owners who appear highly unlikely to bargain in a fare manner.
So perhaps Bryant hit the nail on the head with the demeaning way in which he spoke of the CBA talks. Even so it would be a great chapter in the Book of Mamba if he were to help lead the charge to save the season. But maybe that’s asking too much of man that has already made so many miracles occur.