LOS ANGELES - Maaaring retirado na si Kobe Bryant, ngunit nanatili pa rin ang kanyang maalamat na ‘competitive fire’.
Nang tanungin kung ano ang masasabi niya sa paglipat ni Kevin Durant sa dating NBA champions na Golden State Warriors para hirangin bilang ‘super team’, sinabi ni Bryant na magsilbi dapat itong hamon sa iba pang NBA teams.
“I would have thought less about myself if I looked at that move and said, ‘That’s unfair,’” sabi ni Bryant.
“If you’re a real competitor, you look at that and say, ‘OK, lace ‘em up. Let’s go. I don’t care how many players you have over there; we’re still going to take you down,’” dagdag pa ng five-time champion.
Mula sa Oklahoma City Thunder lumipat si Durant sa Warriors para makasama sina back-to-back MVP Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson at Draymond Green at mapalakas ang tsansang makamit ang una niyang NBA crown.
Matapos maghari noong 2015 ay natalo ang Warriors sa Cleveland Cavaliers sa naka-raang 2016 season.
“When I turn on the TV and watch players play, the player who plays with the same kind of emotion and grit and competitive intensity is Russell,” ani Bryant kay Westbrook.
“He’s going hard, doesn’t matter who’s playing against, doesn’t matter what the odds are. He’s going 110 percent every single time,” dagdag pa nito.