Kobe Bryant done playing for D’Antoni?

January 4, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Lakers head coach Mike D

In a day that saw the Lakers officially say farewell for the season to it’s beloved super hero Kobe Bryant, a new turn was rumored in the Lakers soap opera. With disdain among fans growing, head coach Mike D’Antoni may have lost the support of Bryant himself, according to sources.

According to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News, Bryant is non-too excited to play for D’Antoni next year, going as far to say he has “no interest” in the idea of D’Antoni as head coach. Bryant is just one voice, but a voice that carries a lot of weight not just with the Lakers fanbase, but with the franchise as well.

The sentiment of firing Mike D’Antoni has grown as the season has worn on and the Lakers have sputtered and fallen flat in the homestretch. Never was it stronger then during the absolutely beatdown the Lakers took at the hands of the in-house rival Clippers. With a summer of immense possibilities at the cusp, the Lakers front office will have to ask themselves if they feel D’Antoni is the man for the future.

While you rarely let your star players dictate front office decisions, Bryant is unlike most players in that his tenure with the Lakers is unmatched by any other current player. Bryant is the current face not just of the Lakers roster, but the franchise as a whole. If Bryant truly is unhappy with D’Antoni, can the Lakers afford to keep him around?