As Kobe Bryant continues to work his way back from an Achilles tendon injury he is gradually getting back into his superstar form, and as his confidence grows he reverts back into his trademark trash-talking form.
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Shahan Ahmed of NBC Los Angeles captured slow-motion video from Thursday's Los Angeles Lakers practice of Bryant hitting a baseline jumper over rookie Jordan Clarkson and he immediately talked trash as soon as the ball splashed through the net:
"Don't hurt yourself!" he yelled as Clarkson struggled to keep up with the 19-year veteran. Classic Kobe.
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After practice, Bryant discussed his reason for talking trash to his teammates. He said it motivates them to continue competing even when they're tired and it also makes them want to avoid embarrassment.
"When you're tired it's very easy to go out there and go through the motions, but when someone's talking to you, you have no choice but to try to perform," he said in the video, which can be seen below:
Bryant also praised Nick Young in the video as he is usually the initiator of the trash talk, but Bryant admitted that he continues the playful back-and-forth to help get the best out of the young shooting guard.
"He's very competitive and I think this camp is gonna do wonders for him in particular because he's gonna be at a level in his conditioning that I don't think he's ever been at," Bryant said. "I think because of it, he'll discover another level to his game."
Bryant was held to just six games last season while recovering from his Achilles injury. Now that he's back to 100 percent, he seems very excited to compete in what might turn out to be his final season.
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