Next season, his 19th in the NBA, Bryant will be tasked with mentoring a young bunch of Lakers, including recent Lottery picks D’Angelo Russell and Julius Randle. The alpha male will have to know when to show grace and when to give swift kick in the rear end, and he’s already on the job. Bryant took the high road this time, forgiving first-round pick Larry Nance Jr. for a now-deleted Tweet that referenced Bryant’s 2004 sexual assault case.
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“The kid figured it out himself,” the 36-year-old Bryant told ESPN. “He’s a kid, man. He actually sent me a great message, which is really funny. I looked at it , and it was like, ‘This is when you know it’s about time to hang these things up, when your teammate writes you, Hi, Mr. Bryant.’”
Bryant says it’s “water under the bridge”, and I’m sure he means that. I’m also sure he’ll shoot Nance an extra elbow or two the first time they scrimmage against each other.
