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Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant concedes that players say things in the heat of the moment that they don’t necessarily mean with regards to Dwight Howard.
Howard sat out Wednesday’s 98-92 loss to the Lakers with a sprained knee but he was still a hot topic of conversation after the game.
Bryant was asked whether he considers Howard to be a “p***y”, the term Oklahoma City Thunder star Kevin Durant used to describe him in an exchange of words during a recent game.
However, the Lakers guard moved to deny that despite calling Howard “soft” earlier this season as the pair got involved in an altercation with the Rockets center catching Bryant with an elbow while grabbing a rebound.
“No, I don’t feel that way. I don’t think Kevin does, either,” said Bryant, who scored a game-high 29 points against the Rockets. “In moments of confrontation during a game, you’ll say things in the heat of the moment.
“I know Dwight. I’m sure Kevin does. We don’t really feel that way about him. It’s like when you get in an argument with somebody, you’ll say things out of frustration, out of anger, that you don’t really mean.”
Bryant and Howard were teammates back in the 2012/13 season but they reportedly clashed multiple times as their personalities were so different, and eventually Howard departed to join the Rockets as a free agent.
Nevertheless, Bryant insisted that with the impact of social media and the ability to film things so easily he makes a conscious effort not to get involved in situations for the benefit of the kids that are watching.
“Heat of the battle, heat of the moment,” Bryant said of his comments. “You [reporters] have all been in arguments, you guys that are married. Sometimes you say things that you wish you could take back that you don’t really mean. But it’s in the heat of confrontation, and sometimes things come out.”
“Well, in the moment, no. In hindsight, yes,” he said. “Especially now with social media and [the fact that] everybody has a camera. You try to be as conscious as possible to the fact that kids are watching.”
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