Former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant has never shied away from any topic regarding social justice. So in a way, it was a shame that Bryant was already retired when NFL players were kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality.

NBA players did not end up kneeling for anthem, perhaps because NBA Commissioner Adam Silver came out and said he expected the league's players to stand. But the reason could have been as simple as the NBA encourages its players to speak about issues already, and many did not feel the need to kneel when they can just speak publicly about the matter.

What would Kobe Bryant have done? Well, he gave the answer to Jemele Hill of The Undefeated.

“Yeah, I would have participated in it, for sure,” Bryant said. “I'm sure I would have gotten some flak for it. That's fine. I think that Colin's message was a very simple one. It was police brutality needs to stop; we need to take a look at that.”

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Bryant added that he felt no one in his locker room would've had a problem with him protesting, and was basing that opinion on 20 years in the NBA.

“From my experience in the locker room, it doesn't seem like any of the players that I played with certainly would have had an issue with that. I think we understand this is a free country. I think we have the right to peaceful protest. And by the way, from my point of view, that's what the flag represents as well. The ability to speak. The ability to voice your opinion. And everybody is entitled to that. So everybody getting up in arms about it, they're certainly in their right to do that, as we're certainly in our right to protest—peacefully, at that.”

Watch the full video below.