Kobe Bryant must not have been a big fan of former teammate Smush Parker.
Even though the Los Angeles Lakers added all-stars Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, Bryant still can’t seem to get past the quality of his teammates from the 2005-06 season.
“I almost won an MVP with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown on my team,” Bryant told reporters Wednesday.
The Lakers superstar was especially hard on Parker, the Lakers former starting point guard who he referred to as “the worst.”
“He shouldn’t have been in the NBA but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. So we let him.”
Bryant was often criticized during the 2005-06 season for shooting too frequently and not passing enough to his teammates, something he still bristles at.
“I was shooting 45 times a game,” Bryant said. “What was I supposed to do? Pass it to Chris Mihm or (Kwame) Brown.”
Bryant’s teammates that season included Mihm, Brown, Parker, Brian Cook, Devean George and Slava Medvedenko.
In 2005-06, Bryant averaged a career-high 35.4 points per game.
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