“Just his mentality,..He gave everything he had to the game of basketball and that’s kind of like how I live my life. I owe everything to basketball…So just every day that you step on that court between the lines, you want to compete at a high level. We owe it all to Kobe.” Once, Tyronn Lue spoke very highly about Kobe Bryant’s impact on him. So, it was shocking when the current HC of the Clippers and a former teammate of Mamba would ‘bad mouth’ the Lakers legend. But is there any truth to it?

“Something I had to clean up, I want to clean up today, and I talked to John Salley already“. For context, Salley, on Byron Scott’s podcast, alleged that Ty Lue was one of the players talking s— behind Kobe’s back. But Lue stood on business and on Shannon Sharpe’s podcast, discrediting that narrative. “But John Salley told a story that I was talking s— about Kobe. I’m like, Kobe, my man, I wouldn’t. He (Salley) said, ‘No, I didn’t say that, it got cut in the snip.‘” The 48-year-old listened to his former teammate but issued him an ultimatum.

“I said, ‘No, you got to clean that up, because that’s my guy, and I would never talk shit about Kobe.’ You know, so he said he got a podcast with the same people two weeks from now, and he’s going to clean it up, because that’s not the way it happened.” Lue on Club Shay Shay, spoke in length about his NBA career, and obviously, his time with the Lakers alongside Kobe and Shaq. For one season, Salley was part of the time and won the ‘oo championship. So, when he narrated the incident of Lue disrespecting Kobe, it was believable.

Club Shay Shay on Instagram added the clip where Salley name-dropped Lue, being one of the players who would disrespect Kobe. “And I’m watching Kobe like this, and I’m hearing dudes like yap about him. Like I’m not going to say names, Ty Lue. You know, they talking smack about the young fella.” Even though it wasn’t a serious situation, Lue thought it was paramount that his name be cleared from this.

Adding to it, Salley revealed what Kobe Bryant thought of his teammates. “I don’t know what they’re talking about, and I’m hearing, and I was like, this can’t be fair. And I go, and I sit next to him, and I go, ‘you’re not listening to anything, are you?’ He (Kobe) goes, ‘no, I’m listening to them, they think I’m on. They think I have this on.‘” The Lakers players were on an apparent plane ride when Kobe had his headphones while the other players were busy with cards.

Salley continued, “I said, it doesn’t bother you? He said, ‘Nah, I know who likes me, who doesn’t? I’m cool with that. I don’t hang out with them anyway.‘” Even though the Lakers legend didn’t care about his teammates talking behind his back. Lue cared about their bond and hence the clarification.

Kobe Bryant and family receive an apology from another Clippers star

The Lakers legend, alongside his daughter Gianna and 7 others, unfortunately lost their lives five years ago. So, it’s obvious, any negative statement against Black Mamba would feel personal to his fans. Especially those statements that affect his character. One such statement that made rounds last year was:”Kobe had them chicks, though.” To make matters worse, the following statement was about the 5x NBA champion’s wife. “Vanessa ain’t watching this.” This came from Sebastian Telfair on DJ Vlad’s show last year.

Fans were upset, as it was a question about Kobe Bryant’s character. Very recently, the former Clippers player gave his apology. “I get like five DMs a day about that. Like, ‘yo man, f you. How you snitch on Kobe?’ Like, no, I wasn’t snitching on Kobe.” In his defense, the 10-year veteran opened up about the backlash he received. He explained he intended to humanize the late Lakers legend rather than disrespect him. The 40-year-old continued apologizing many times during his interview.

“Kobe was a dope individual. You know what I’m saying? So, a lot of people loved him. That’s basically what I was saying to clean that up. You know what I’m saying? So, I don’t want no Kobe hate. I love Kobe. I’m sorry, Kobe. Kobe. I’m sorry”. The Lakers’ legacy and influence extend beyond the basketball court. His hard exterior meant only a few people got to the real Kobe. Those real ones often tell the greatest stories that only help us remember Kobe the right way.