Kobe Bryant made his first public comments since Mike D'Antoni resigned as head coach and took a $2 million buyout, and while the "Black Mamba" didn't really seem to care about D'Antoni leaving, he's very interested in seeing who the Lakers bring in as a replacement and he even wants a hand in the decision himself.
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"Honestly, I didn't care," Bryant said on Jimmy Kimmel Live Thursday when asked if he was happy about D'Antoni leaving, according to ESPN. "Mike was dealt a really bad hand in dealing with all the injuries that he had here. This is a tough place, man. If you're not winning, you're not going to survive, man."
D'Antoni attempted to navigate through an injury-riddled season, but ended up leading the Lakers to a franchise-worst 27-55 record as the team missed the postseason for the first time since 2004. Lakers brass was willing to give D'Antoni another year on the sidelines with a healthy team but wouldn't commit to picking up his option for 2015-16.
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Not wanting to face the constant questions about his job status and being a lame duck coach as he was this year, D'Antoni decided to walk after his second-year option wasn't picked up by the team.
Bryant, who has had his battles with upper-management, said that the Lakers didn't consult him on the hiring of D'Antoni or his predecessor Mike Brown, however he said he's hopeful they will on the new hire.
"On the last two they didn't," Bryant said of the last two coaches the Lakers hired via ESPN. "On the third one, I'm hoping they do."
He also believes that upper-management has what it takes to make the right decisions to make the Lakers a championship caliber team once again.
"[Vice president of player personnel] Jimmy and [team president] Jeanie [Buss] both, they're just really determined and excited about the possibilities of next season and rebuilding this and building on their father's legacy and everything that he's accomplished," Bryant said on the show per ESPN. "And they're taking the challenge extremely, extremely seriously. They're both on the same page and they want nothing but excellence here, so I have no doubt that we'll make it happen."
Bryant, who turns 36 in August and has dealt with injuries but said he feels 100 percent, said he doesn't care how the coach gets along with the team as long as it gives him a chance to win his sixth NBA title.
"Honestly, it's not really about whether the players like the coach or not," Bryant told Kimmel. "It's really about getting results. Liking somebody and those results don't necessarily go hand-in-hand. Sometimes when a coach is driving you, you don't necessarily like it, but it's a part of the process, and then once you win, everybody is buddy-buddy after that."
The Lakers have yet to hire a new coach, but if his words are any indication, Bryant wants to be a part of the decision-making process.
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