I know the title is harsh, but judging from the this scathing report from ESPN.com, Bryant might be better served starting the season with four of his minions, and proceeding from there.
According to report, Bryant’s mecurialness and ability to alienate teammates, has other superstars running the other way when it comes to the proposition of playing with Bryant.
Several league sources and agents threw Bryant under the bus, and labeled him as the primary reason for the Lakers’ inability to retain Dwight Howard last summer.
Another agent says “multiple” players refused to sign with the Lakers because of Bryant.
“I’ve had a lot of clients in the last five years, good players, who didn’t want to play with Kobe,” says an agent who has had numerous NBA stars. “They see that his teammates become the chronic public whipping boys. Anyone who could possibly challenge Kobe for the spotlight en’ds up becoming a pincushion for the media. Even Shaq.”
Bryant was blamed for the Lakers missing out on stars like Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James this summer.