"Kobe think y'all soft man" - Lou Williams recalls Kobe Bryant being mean to Lakers young core in locker room after embarrassing loss

The LA Lakers was the home of Kobe Bryant for 20 years, and he's had a plethora of experiences, especially encountering various players. One of the players he had the chance to play with was Lou Williams, who only played there for a season and a half from 2015 to 2017.

There's been a pool of stories about Bryant and his interactions with the former Lakers young core. During his latter years in the NBA, the Purple & Gold team struggled to win significant games, and the Black Mamba wasn't a fan of it. Williams was able to witness how the superstar interacted with the team's younger players at that time.

"When I first got there it was kinda weird cause he wasn't around," Williams said. "I was playing with my peers and then he got healthy, and then everything changed. Like, the environment changed, I feel like the air changed, he just came in and it was like, 'Alright, order in the court' ."

"It was just the young guys. I was bulletproof, Brandon Bass was bulletproof, Metta World [Peace] was bulletproof. Nick Young was on the fence. Because, you know Nick poked the bear. I just remember him telling the young guys, 'When I'm in the front office next year, I'm trading all you motherf******' . "

"We got back to LA that next day, and the equipment manager was just coming around with a big a** bucket just scooping Kobes outta everybody locker. Me and Nick like, 'What you doing?' He said, 'Kobe think y'all n***** soft man. He don't want y'al wearing his shoes' ."

Bryant wanted to push the young guys back then to help them reach their potential. Many years later, Jordan Clarkson, Julius Randle, Larry Nance Jr., Brandon Ingram, and D'Angelo Russell have all made a name for themselves. Maybe the five-time champion left an impact on them after all.

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Irving credits Kobe Bryant in a recent win

The Dallas Mavericks are on a roll this season, thanks to the outstanding performances of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. In their 144-126 win against the LA Clippers, Irving dropped 27 points, which helped the Mavs overcome the Big 4 of the Clippers.

Following the game, Irving credited Kobe Bryant as someone who always gave him advice, especially in shooting the ball. It was also a tip that his father gave him, which he constantly gets reminded of. Irving said that Bryrant always reminded him to take his time before every shot.

This advice would help him in their next game, scoring 35 points in a win against the New Orleans Pelicans.