The comment either got lost in translation or says more about the accuser, Darko Milicic, than it does the accused, Kobe Bryant.
Milicic, one of the biggest NBA Draft busts of the 21st century because of the available players selected after him as the top pick of the Detroit Pistons and No. 2 overall pick in 2003, talked about what turned out to be a 10-year NBA career with Serbian newspaper Blic Sport that Hoops Hype translated via Uproxx.com.
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In the course of his conversation, the 7-foot Serbian called Bryant the NBA's "dirtiest player."
Milicic talked his distaste over the "antagonistic competitiveness" of the NBA and coming into the league with the wrong attitude as an 18-year-old. When asked what NBA players bothered him the most, Milicic cited Bryant, the Lakers superstar whose personality clashes with Shaquille O'Neal led the big man to leave Los Angeles in the summer of 2003 to join the Miami Heat.
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But Milicic, who was drafted behind only LeBron James in 2003, used an adjective not usually associated with the Black Mamba.
"It's all funny to me," Milicic said. "I finally get a chance to play and (Dikembe Mutombo) starts taunting me and daring me to fight. Why would I need that (see video below)? I didn't understand half of what he said. I mean, he's been there 20 years and still doesn't know the language well enough.
"Nobody in particular annoyed me, but Kobe Bryant is the dirtiest player with the things he does on the court... But without a doubt he is a beast. He was amazing."
Bryant was many things in 2003 --- arrogant, stubborn, petulant --- but he was not known as a dirty player.
His feud with Shaq put a premature end to the Lakers' early 2000s dynastic when the two stars couldn't co-exist anymore in Los Angeles.
It could've been that arrogance that rubbed Milicic the wrong way and drove the Serbian to search for an adjective to describe Bryant.
"I can't play with American players," Milicic added. "They only talked about who dunked on whom, who crossed over whom. I was weird to them because I didn't think that way."
The American players selected after Milicic in 2002 included Carmelo Anthony (No. 3 to Denver), Chris Bosh (No. 4 to Toronto) and Dwyane Wade (No. 5 to Miami).
Four of the top five players taken in the 2003 draft averaged 19.2 points or more for their NBA careers and are still playing. Milicic averaged 6.0 points per game over 10 seasons.
He actually lasted through the 2012-13 season, playing one game with the Boston Celtics. But he also likely prevented the Pistons from becoming a dynasty after they had won the 2004 NBA Finals --- over the Lakers --- and returned to the finals in 2005. Had those Pistons teams also had a Carmelo Anthony or Dwyane Wade. ...
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