Kobe Bryant was so hungry for the ball at one point in his career, he was willing to trade product for passes.
Ex-Los Angeles Laker Robert Horry revealed Bryant offered his teammates Adidas gear in exchange for preferential passes during the 2002-03 season, The L.A. Daily News’ Mark Medina reported on Twitter on Tuesday. Bryant was 24 years old and looking to assume more responsibility when he floated the passes-for-product idea.
Robert Horry said Kobe told teammates when Shaq was injured in 02-03 season that he'd give his teammates Adidas gear if he kept getting ball
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) March 30, 2016
Bryant lead the NBA in points that year, scoring 2,461 — the second-highest output of his storied career.
Horry continues by claiming Bryant failed to make good on his trade for a reason only NBA superstars can understand.
Horry said Kobe still hasn't given teammates gear. Kobe said he doesn't owe anything since he switched to Nike
— Mark Medina (@MarkG_Medina) March 30, 2016
Bryant was in-between sneaker endorsement deals at the time, lending credence to Horry’s story.
Not that we really needed to investigate or see some proof of Horry’s account. After all, this is Bryant he’s talking about. And we shouldn’t be surprised if more stories like these filter out of Laker-land, as Bryant’s retirement tour heads for its conclusion.
Thumbnail photo via Russ Isabella/USA TODAY Sports Images
