Kobe Bryant's bravado knows no bounds.
As he looks forward to his 19th NBA season with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant is hoping that his team can surprise some folks who are writing off the Lakers in the loaded NBA Western Conference in 2014-15.
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But Bryant is anything, if not a supremely confident in his abilities to carry a team. He carried the Lakers to titles in 2009 and 2010 and thought for sure the Lakers would three-peat.
So much so that he reached out to then free agent LeBron James to give him some friendly advice about his impending decision to leave the Cleveland Cavaliers. The text to James is anything but supportive but is classic Kobe.
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According to Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding, Bryant sent the following message to James. Perhaps, Bryant was feeling neglected that he had just led the Lakers to a repeat and yet all eyes were on James' "Decision:"
"Go ahead and get another MVP, if you want. And find the city you want to live in. But we're going to win the championship. Don't worry about it."
As it turned out, the Chicago Bulls' Derrick Rose won the Most Valuable Player award in 2010-11. James, who jilted the Cavaliers to play with pals Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami, led the Heat to the Eastern Conference championship.
The Lakers finished 57-25 in the Western Conference, but their hopes for a three-peat ended in the second round of the playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks went on to beat James' Heat in the NBA Finals.
James has had the last laugh, appearing in four straight NBA Finals and winning two of them (in 2011-12 and 2012-13, coinciding with his MVP seasons).
Bryant ruptured his Achilles' heel trying to drag the Lakers into the playoffs in 2013. Then he fractured his knee after just playing in six games in 2013-14 as the team suffered its worst record (27-55) since the franchise moved to Los Angeles in 1960.
Do you think LeBron James has ever reminded Kobe Bryant about his 2010 text? Comment below or tell us @SportsWN.
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