His introductory press conference didn't go as well as planned because of a perceived slight by his new teammate.
But new Lakers center Roy Hibbert says reports that star guard Kobe Bryant didn't reach out to him or the team's other free-agent signings -- Lou Williams and Brandon Bass -- were wrong, The Los Angeles Times reports.
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During their introductory press conference, the three signees were asked whether Bryant had reached out to them. No one spoke for about 10 seconds before another question was asked.
"I think he caught a lot of flak for no reason," Hibbert said in retrospect to the Times. "He was overseas in China, I guess for a while, doing what he was doing. He's reached out to me and we talked.
"It was funny, I guess, looking back. Ten seconds. I just told him, 'I'll be ready on the defensive end to help whatever way I can.' He was all about that. I will say that."
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Hibbert added that he's lost 16 pounds during the offseason in an effort to be a better rim protector for the Lakers. He went through two tumultuous final seasons of his seven years with the Pacers.
Hibbert was accused of disappearing during the 2014 playoffs, and the Times reported that he admitted he did not play up to his potential during 2015 when he averaged 10.6 points and 7.1 rebounds for Indiana.
The biggest change so far for Hibbert has been the presence of paparazzi when he steps out in public in L.A.
He says he has run into Larry King and Sylvester Stallone while on dining excursions and says cameras would start flashing when he went to high-end restaurants.
"I'd get out of the car and before I even opened the door, cameras would start flashing. And all of a sudden as soon as I got out, they'd stop and just go back," Hibbert said.
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