Trae Young has an impressive six-year run with the Atlanta Hawks. The NBA All-Star draws inspiration from several past stars, including Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. However, rumors of Bryant's alleged cold treatment of those around him when he was younger have surfaced, causing Young to call out the man making the claims.
One of Kobe Bryant's alleged best friends from high school shared interesting insights on social media. The friend said he spoke to Bryant when his career was first taking off and asked him for a work opportunity. Although, Bryant allegedly never got back to his friend, insinuating a tough betrayal. The friend spoke to one of Bryant's cousins about the situation, and the cousin allegedly said that Bryant was never any good to his family and friends.
“[Bryant] never did nothing for nobody in his family. He got a $500 million empire. His sisters were working regular jobs. You see his mom and them have to sell memorillia,” Bryant's high school friend claimed. “He just [didn't] care about nobody but his wife and the new family.”
Trae Young took exception to the attacks against Bryant and gave a decisive response:
“Nahh,” Young wrote on X, formerly Twitter, alongside a clown emoji. “We don't do Kobe slander. Why even post this bs?”
It is unclear who Bryant's childhood friend is or when exactly he made the comments, but Young is having none of it. Despite Young's defense of Bryant, the former Lakers star's alleged friend did have something positive to say.
“One thing about him that made him a great basketball player… he had no fear,” the friend added.
Through ups and downs, Kobe Bryant left a storied legacy with the Lakers. And Los Angeles could write a new story with a key 2024 offseason development.
Trae Young Lakers buzz grows
Young and fellow Hawks teammate Dejounte Murray were heavily mentioned in rumors ahead of the 2024 trade deadline. However, Atlanta elected to keep them on the team. Nevertheless, Lakers fans began to conspire about Young joining Los Angeles after he defended Kobe Bryant:
“Thank you Trae. Please join the Lakers,” one fan commented alongside a prayer hands emoji.
“LAKER!!!!” another fan emphatically claimed.
One fan even went as far as suggesting that Young's presence would maximize LeBron James' abilities:
“You would maximize my GOAT to a 32 ppg season please request a trade,” the fan wrote.
It seems Lakers fans would warmly welcome Young to LA. Yet, the Lakers have reportedly shown little interest in trading for the star guard. In early July, ESPN's Zach Lowe claimed that Young's trade market was “as chilly as it has ever been.”
“The Lakers, too, have shown little recent interest in Young, sources said,” Lowe wrote. “That could change if the price drops to L.A.'s liking. But the market for Young is as chilly as it has ever been.”
Despite the rumors, Young will enter the 2024-25 season ready to compete at the highest level with the Hawks. The 25-year-old comes off a season with averages of 25.7 points, 10.8 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on a 37.3 percent three-point shooting clip.
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