The 36-year-old made what might be one of his final trips to TD Garden to take on the Celtics on Friday, and through the sting of the 113-96 defeat, he admitted he admired Boston fans. Those fans who jeered him did so out of support for their team, he said, when asked how Celtics fans had treated him over the years.
“The right way,” Bryant said. “When there’s a lot of Lakers fans here, they cheer, and when there are a lot of Celtics fans, they boo. I appreciate both of them, because they really understand the game here. When they get on me and they boo, I sincerely appreciate that, because it means I’m doing something right. I feel like a part of history between these two teams when they do that. It always feels good.”
The contingent of Lakers fans at TD Garden on Friday was the largest in recent memory, perhaps the biggest since the formation of the Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen-led “Big Three” in 2007. More than one “Ko-Be Bry-Ant” chant broke out during play, even as it became clear the Celtics (6-11) would claim this underwhelming round of the all-time series over the Lakers (5-15).
“Well, I mean, when the Celtics struggle, there’s plenty of other things to do in Boston, I guess,” Bryant said. “But those years they were rolling, man, this place was nuts. You definitely wouldn’t have heard Kobe chants in ’08, ’09, ’10.”
Thumbnail photo via Mark L. Baer/USA TODAY Sports Images
