Kobe Bryant have missed several team scrimmages because of his health. But on Thursday he attended the team scrimmage and made sure his teammates knew he was present, throwing one expletive after another at other players and even calling his team "soft," Press Telegram reported.
Members of the press were allowed to watch the last five minutes of the 5-on-5 scrimmage between the Lakers' starters and reserves at the team's practice facility gym, but it was enough time for them to see how the Mambe toughens his teammates up.
At one point, he was guarding Jeremy Lin and was daring him to shoot, saying, "This m-----f----- don't got s---. He ain't got s--- right now. Shoot! Shoot!"
After Lin tried to shoot and missed, Bryant said, "I talked his ass right into that bulls---. I talked his ass right into that bulls---."
According to ESPN, the press also saw Bryant and Nick Young exchanging tirades during the practice match, with Young yelling at Bryant that "Nobody in the world can guard me one-on-one," and Bryant telling Young, "You're going exactly where I want you to go."
Later on, Bryant told the media that he told Young, "Thank God I'm not from this world."
After practice was over, Bryant told general manager Mitch Kupchak that he's "supposed to practice and get better, Mitch. I'm supposed to practice and get better. These m-----f------ ain't doing s--- for me."
ESPN noted that later on Bryant seemingly told his teammates, "You m-----f------ are soft like Charmin in this m-----f-----. God damn, is this the type of s--- that's going on in these practices? Now I see why we've lost 20 f---ing games. We're soft like Charmin. We're soft like s---."
Meanwhile, Lakers coach Byron Scott was all smiles and seemed to be enjoying the practice.
He told ESPN that every time "No. 24" joins the practice, it gets really intense. "I think he brings out the best in the guys. And it's a good way to start the trip."
Bryant also said that he wasn't mad with the reserves, noting that he was merely being himself.
"I don't get a chance to get out there and play (in practice) too much because of my body and stuff. ... I was just challenging them to see what happens. I've always believed in throwing them in the pool and seeing if they can sink or swim," Bryant said, according to Press Telegram.
When asked whether he considered the trash-talking his teammates as beneficial, Bryant said that although he didn't know whether it helped them, he knew that it raised the "intensity level" of the game.
