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Barnes: Players Avoiding Lakers’ Mgmt, Not Kobe

Basketball Insiders

Updated 2 years ago on October 15, 2021 • 1 min read

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Los Angeles Clippers forward Matt Barnes, who played alongside Bryant for two seasons with the Lakers, has a theory about his former team’s recent rut.

The common misconception is that players cower at the idea of playing with Kobe due to his ultracompetitive nature, says Barnes.

“The reason people don’t want to go to the Lakers is because of management,” Barnes tells SI.com. “Kobe can be the scapegoat all they want but if you play hard, Kobe likes you. And if you bulls— around, he doesn’t. It’s plain and simple. He’s not a vocal leader.

via Chris Ballard of SI.com

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