Los Angeles Lakers Star Kobe Bryant Tells Draymond Green To Be The Golden State Warriors Jerk

Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant had some very interesting words for Draymond Green after his team scored the biggest upset victory in the history of the NBA over the Golden State Warriors on Sunday. According to Fox Sports, Bryant told Green that he needed to be a jerk in order for the Golden State Warriors to repeat as NBA Champions. This stems from a recent incident where Draymond apologized after screaming at his teammates during halftime of a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Kobe Bryant believes that conflict is necessary if a team wants to be competitive in the NBA. The All-Star guard believes that teams become complacent when everyone gets along. If anyone should know about conflict, it’s Bryant. He famously feuded with Shaquille O’Neal while the two of them were winning championships for the Los Angeles Lakers. Kobe was also the one that called out Dwight Howard when he didn’t take winning seriously enough.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr feels the same way about conflict. He didn’t seem the least bit bothered by Draymond Green’s profanity laced tirade in the locker room when the media questioned him about the situation. Kerr has won NBA championships as both a player and as a head coach, so he gets the benefit of the doubt when it comes to knowing what type of environment is conducive to winning titles.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Steve Kerr and Kobe Bryant feel the same way about conflict. The two of them share something in common. They both have won NBA Championships with Phil Jackson as the head coach. Kerr did it with the Chicago Bulls, while Bryant did it with the Los Angeles Lakers. Jackson has long been known as someone that wants the players to figure out how to resolve conflicts on their own.

Interestingly enough, there were a good amount of people that were concerned that Draymond Green might become the weak link in the seemingly unbreakable chain that is the Golden State Warriors. On the court, Green is everything that the team needs him to be. However, the fear was that he would ruin team chemistry if he continued to scream and yell at teammates when things are not going well.

If Kobe Bryant and Steve Kerr are to be believed, then Draymond Green is doing the right thing. Bryant has five championships, just one shy of the six that Michael Jordan owns. Kerr has five NBA Championships as a player, and one title as a head coach. Considering those resumes, there are good reasons why Bryant and Kerr should be believed. Green should listen to Kobe and Steve because they know what it takes to dominate the NBA.

Stephen Curry seems like a very likable guy to his teammates. The 6’3″, 190-pound guard is more likely to joke around with his teammates than to admonish his teammates when they make mistakes. There’s nothing wrong with that, because screaming is not in everyone’s nature. Curry can still be considered a good leader for the Golden State Warriors because he can lead by example better than most NBA players have ever done.

Phil Jackson has been known to play mind games with people by picking and choosing his words very meticulously. Kobe Bryant is a lot more straightforward than that. He says what he means. For Bryant to give Draymond Green advice that will help the Golden State Warriors win more NBA Championships, that means a lot more than normal. It shows that he’s at peace with his retirement and that he genuinely wants to see greatness from Green and the Warriors, so Draymond should heed his words.

[Featured Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images]