Yahoo Lifestyle Jeremy Lin shares story of Kobe Bryant biding adieu to 'bums' about to be traded at deadline
The 2015 season wasn’t a good one for the Los Angeles Lakers. But Jeremy Lin still has a great story from the one year he had with the late Kobe Bryant.
The Lakers went 21-61, their first 60-loss season in franchise history, and Bryant was out for most of the season after tearing his rotator cuff in January. The Hall of Fame inductee retired after the following season.
Lin shared the story on “Inside the Green Room” with Danny Green and Harrison Sanford. It happened right before the trade deadline in February with the Lakers sitting at 13-34. Bryant popped into the facility even though he’d been absent for a while, sparking a reaction from the team.
Imagine being on the #Lakers with Kobe Bryant and going into February w/ trading deadline approaching with a 13-34 record. @JLin7 recalled a practice during that 2014-15 season.
New episode: https://t.co/jsBv5kEzV3
🎙: @DGreen_14 & @HarrisonSanford
Presented by @JackBox pic.twitter.com/tXHkjDEZOq— Inside The Green Room (@GreenRoomInside) May 14, 2020
"We hadn't seen him in a few weeks," Lin said. "All of a sudden he walks in the gym, and this is the day before the trade deadline."
"[Bryant] was stone-faced. He was just like, 'I just came to say goodbye to some of you bums who are going to get traded tomorrow.' He sits down at the table where you control the scoreboard, said a couple words to the coaches, and then he left."
Bryant died Jan. 26 in a helicopter crash near Los Angeles that killed a total of nine people, including his 13-year-old daughter Gianna. There’s been an outpouring of love and stories for the five-time NBA champion.
Lin spent only the 2014-15 season in Los Angeles. He averaged 11.2 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 25.8 minutes per game.
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