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Jeremy Lin Says Kobe Bryant Came To Practice To Say Bye To 'Bums' Who Were Getting Traded

Lin recalled a hilarious Bryant story on Danny Green's podcast 'Inside The Green Room.'

Melissa Rohlin

Jeremy Lin, who played alongside Kobe Bryant in 2014-2015, recently recalled the superstar coming to practice after sustaining a season-ending rotator cuff injury that required surgery so he could say goodbye to any players who were going to be traded before the deadline.

But Bryant, who was known for being honest and blunt, didn't exactly intend to coddle or comfort them.  

He walked into the gym the day before the trade deadline after not having seen his teammates for a few weeks and took everyone aback.  

"He comes in, sweatsuit, he has a sling for his hurt shoulder, he has his shades on, his Kobe shades," Lin said on Danny Green's podcast Inside The Green Room. "And he walks in and everyone’s like ‘Ohh’ and Booz, Carlos Boozer, is like ‘Kob, good to see you bro! Dang, we haven’t seen you in a bit. How come you came today?’

“He was just stone-faced, and he was like ‘I just came by to say bye to some of you bums who are going to get traded tomorrow.’" 

Bryant then chatted with the Lakers coach Byron Scott for a few minutes before leaving. 

His words, however, left quite an impression. 

"I remember one of my teammates was just like, ‘I lost all motivation to practice,’” Lin said. 

The Lakers ended up not making any trades the following day. 

They went on to finish the season with the second-worst record in franchise history at 21-61. Bryant only appeared in 35 games. 

Bryant retired the following season in 2016 as an 18-time All-Star, five-time NBA champion, two-time Finals MVP and one-time regular season MVP in 2008. 

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Melissa Rohlin
MELISSA ROHLIN

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