Jeremy Lin and Kobe Bryant shared the backcourt for the Los Angeles Lakers. That’s about it though!
Kobe Bryant and Jeremy Lin only played for one season together (2014-15). But it was probably a year too long because those two had many reasons to get heated at each other. This pairing had no chance of working based on the fact that Lin ran the point guard position and the Kobe always needed the ball in his hands so that made him the point guard too.
The two combined to be one of the most inefficient backcourts in the NBA that season. Check that, the most inefficient in NBA history might not be out of the question. Bottom line, they made oil and water look compatible.
Bryant averaged 22.3 points per game on 37.3 percent shooting that year and ranked third in the team in field goal attempts despite missing 47 games due to an injury. Lin wasn’t much better shooting 42.4 percent from the floor (second-worst of his career) and led the team in turnovers.
That Lakers squad finished 21-61, and was 29th in points allowed and defensive rating (Also read: No effort).
Lin’s moment that Lakers fans will always remember will be when he waved off Kobe Bryant against the Clippers.
Thank God Jeremy Lin hit that shot, though. That’s not the kind of shot you wave Bryant off for. To be honest, that’s not a shot to wave anyone else off for that matter.
Things never really got going for the two that season. There was the Memphis game when head coach, Byron Scott, Lin and Bryant got their wires crossed for fouling Mike Conley at the end of the game. Lin looked bad and Kobe did little to help matters by screaming at him.
Then Wayne Ellington shined the light on a trash talking episode that sums up the Lakers season for the starting backcourt.
"Jeremy Lin and Kobe were trash-talking each other… and J-Lin was like ‘Kobe, you know, I’m not scared of you, man. Only person I’m scared of is God. Kobe looked at him and said ‘Yeah… me, God, Yeah…’"
After the season, Jeremy Lin found some success in Charlotte while Bryant finished his career in purple and gold.