Kobe Bryant: 2011 Lockout ‘made to restrict Lakers’
By Jacob Rude
In his old age, Kobe Bryant has been opening up to the media unlike he ever has during his long career. On the heels of his NBATV Special “Kobe: The Interview,” Bryant also had an interview with GQ magazine and offered up this haymaker in regards to the lockout in 2011.
"Look at the [2011] lockout. That lockout was made to restrict the Lakers. It was. I don’t care what any other owner says. It was designed to restrict the Lakers and our marketability."
Bryant offered up the answer when talking about the Lakers title chances in the coming seasons given the restrictions of the collective bargaining agreement. When asked whether Bryant meant the Lakers or teams in the league like the Lakers, Bryant reaffirmed the Lakers specifically.
"There is only one team like the Lakers. Everything that was done with that lockout was to restrict the Lakers’ ability to get players and to create a sense of parity, for the San Antonios of the world and the Sacramentos of the world. But a funny thing happened, coming out of that lockout: Even with those restrictions, the Lakers pulled off a trade [for Chris Paul] that immediately set us up for a championship, a run of championships later, and which saved money. Now, the NBA vetoed that trade. But the Lakers pulled that shit off, and no one would have thought it was even possible. The trade got vetoed, because they’d just staged the whole lockout to restrict the Lakers. Mitch got penalized for being smart. But if we could do that…"
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Bryant references the infamous trade for Chris Paul, which was controversially vetoed by David Stern, who was running the then-named New Orleans Hornets on behalf of the league as they searched for an owner. After giving then-general manager Dell Demps full control of making roster moves. However, Stern’s conflict of interest as both de facto owner and commissioner of the league led to many eyebrows being raised upon the veto.
Nonetheless, these are strong words from Bryant. Prior to the lockout, the Lakers sat well above the luxury tax line, able to pay the tax levied to teams who exceeded the limit thanks to big television deals and marketing.
Do you agree with Bryant? Was the lockout directed at the Lakers? Let us know in the comments below!
Next: Lakers News: Kobe Inspired By Seeing The Spurs Win 5th Title
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