Mamba parks Parker, smashes Smush: Kobe speaks out on former teammates in not so flattering fashion

Confidence is a delicate thing.

If you’re even the slightest bit unsure of yourself in your chosen profession, it could mean the end of your career, and that’s just you, sitting at your desk, making phone calls, unable to close that next big deal because you’re having an off week.

Now multiply that by bright lights and big city.  Imagine playing a sport with the greatest player of his era and having him tell you you’re all worthless and weak.

That’s the bomb Kobe Bryant just dropped on Smush Parker.

You remember Smush, don’t you?  With a name like that, how could you not?

Smush, whose real name is William Henry (no wonder they call him Smush), played two full seasons in Los Angeles alongside Kobe Bryant, from 2005 to 2007.  He averaged around 11 points per game starting basically every game at point guard those two seasons, but “point guard” is a tenuous term when you’re talking Laker basketball, considering Kobe Bryant handles the ball most of the time.  Even Derek Fisher barely got touches.  A more appropriate job title for Smush might have been The Other Dude Who Sometimes Dribbled the Ball.

That’d be a compliment compared to what Kobe said about him lately.

With Smush as his teammate, Bryant averaged career highs in scoring and field goal attempts but the other day, Kobe launched Smush’s least favorite shot of all.

In a recent interview, Kobe called Parker “the worst” and said “he shouldn’t have been in the NBA but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. So we let him walk on.”

Bryant didn’t stop there.  He also cracked on former teammates Chris Mihm and Kwame Brown.  “I almost won an MVP with Smush Parker and Kwame Brown on my team.  I was shooting 45 times a game. What was I supposed to do? Pass it to Chris Mihm or Kwame Brown?”

Don’t expect Kobe to be invited to the Mihm family reunion any time soon.

Back then the Lakers were struggling, early round playoff exits the norm.  This was right around the time Shaq and Kobe had their falling out, causing the big fella to head east (aren’t ya’ glad I didn’t say “take his talents to South Beach” – DAMN, I just said it).

Apparently Bryant and Parker have had their issues for a while, with Parker once saying the Lakers problems “begin and end with Kobe Bryant.”  If those problems mean winning two more championships after Shaq left, I’m pretty sure those are problems Jerry Buss and company can deal with.

Parker has since cracked back, calling Kobe a diva and saying he’s no longer a Laker because he refused to kiss Kobe’s ass.  Either way, this is a Hollywood-style, NBA war of words that Smush simply can’t win.  Kobe is Spielberg; Smush is that strip of film left abandoned on the cutting room floor.

Perhaps it was petty for Kobe to take parting shots at Parker, who now plays professionally in Venezuela, but it’s not like we needed Smush’s testimony to figure out Kobe can be a ball-hogging, egotistical dick of a teammate.  We watch the games.  We know these things.  But the NBA pecking order is a fiercely, hierarchical caste system and that’s why nobody really gives a rat’s ass about what Smush Parker thinks, even if he’s right.

It is still fun to listen to though.  And I thought Kevin Garnett defriending Ray Allen was entertaining.

Life is now seemingly easier in Tinsel Town, at least on paper.  Mihm’s no longer the word, Dwight Howard is.  Kwame’s now playing for his seventh NBA team in eleven years.  And Smush has been replaced by Nash.

We’ll see if this newest Lakers get-up, with egos abound, can coexist.  If they don’t, I know one former Laker who will be happy they didn’t.


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30 Replies to “Mamba parks Parker, smashes Smush: Kobe speaks out on former teammates in not so flattering fashion”

  1. I’m currently taking wagers on who will be the first Kobe homer to post a comment, totally appalled and defending Kobe to the nines.

    Trust me, they’ll be coming.

    Any takers?

  2. Pingback: Mamba parks Parker, smashes Smush: Kobe speaks out on former teammates in not so flattering fashion - BallHyped Blog Network, NBA | BallHyped Sports Blogs

  3. Is anyone really surprised? Really? Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a Laker fan as long as folks have known me, (for those who do), but I certainly cannot defend Kobe to the nines, for this, (another in a long line), spouting off of a spoiled child. Some may see it as just an opinion which he is entitled to. However, when he goes out and says the organization was too cheap to go and get a point guard, I wonder how much of his cheap salary he was willing to cut to get one? Even in this past year, the attempt to get Chris Paul makes his “cheap” assertion a bit ridiculous and irresponsible. If he really feels like the organization was too cheap, then why continue to play for an organization apparently not interested in investing in winning? His childish commentary reflects on the organization, which in my humble opinion is a great organization and happens to be bigger than him, (but perhaps not his ego).

  4. Well, at least we know that Kobe will never suffer a heart attack. He ain’t got one. But he may have a roaring case of hemorrhoids because he is one big ASSHOLE.

  5. Very well said, Mony, and way to put your L.A. homerism aside to look at the bigger picture.

    I think there’s a line you can draw in the sand between the guys who think Kobe is better than MJ (27 years old and younger) and then every one else, who knows there’s really no comparison.

    We tend to forget, Kobe has had feuds with Shaq, Phil, Smush, Kupchack, ownership, shit, basically everyone that’s run through there.

    We’re also quick to forget that Stephen A. interview during his contract negotiations years ago where he told the world it’s too late, that he would no longer be a Laker.

    Yea, I don’t forget those moments.

    Look, I respect Kobe. Sick talent. Most deadly player in the game for a long time.

    But he does have his bitch moments.

  6. Snake…

    Click on the link in the post above, the one where Smush is telling that guy what a jerk Kobe was.

    Not only is that priceless but so is the expression on the interviewer’s face when Smush drops that one on him. He’s like “Holy shit, did he really just say that?”

  7. I don’t mind if you come down on Kobe, but please don’t forget his rape trial. Shaq is a character. Kobe has no character.

  8. I didn’t even bring that up, Snake, but I honestly don’t think he raped that girl.

    He did use poor judgment, however, considering he was married at the time (like that matters for the average NBA athlete) by winking at the concierge and saying “Hi, my name is Kobe Bryant. Come up to my room and fuck me.”

    I can’t fault guys for thinking with their dicks. I’ve done that the majority of my life. But I can fault guys for feeling entitled, thinking women should want to fuck them and then acting all dumbfounded when they actually might not want to.

    Kobe’s too smart of a guy to try to rape some poor hotel room employee. He’s obviously not smart enough, however, to be put in an uncompromising situation.

  9. Get this…

    According to CBS Sports (http://www.cbssports.com/nba/blog/eye-on-basketball/20568247/kobe-bryant-posts-about-leadership-on-facebook), Kobe posted this on his Facebook fan page in response to Smush’s comments.

    You’re gonna LOVE this.

    “Leadership is responsibility.

    There comes a point when one must make a decision. Are YOU willing to do what it takes to push the right buttons to elevate those around you? If the answer is YES, are you willing to push the right buttons even if it means being perceived as the villain? Here’s where the true responsibility of being a leader lies. Sometimes you must prioritize the success of the team ahead of how your own image is perceived. The ability to elevate those around you is more than simply sharing the ball or making teammates feel a certain level of comfort. It’s pushing them to find their inner beast, even if they end up resenting you for it at the time.

    I’d rather be perceived as a winner than a good teammate. I wish they both went hand in hand all the time but that’s just not reality. I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses.

    This is my way. It might not be right for YOU but all I can do is share my thoughts. It’s on YOU to figure out which leadership style suits you best.

    Will check back in with you soon.. Till then

    Mamba out”

  10. When it’s all said and done , what will Smush’s career amount to ? We know compared to Kobe’s it’s like night and day !

    The Lakers need this plotline about as much as Rex Ryan needs to put on more weight to add to his already massive girth .

    Has Shaq actually stopped taking his pot-shots at Dwight Howard as of yet ? Because that bull-crap is all so asinine !

    I can’t wait for the NBA regular season to start at the end of this month !

    NHL fans , are they still griping on about whether or not they’ll have a season ? Lightning owner Jeff Vinick really does need to look at his sporting investments and gauge whether or not they’re worth s##t !

    Dwight Howard fires back at Shaq

    EL SEGUNDO, Calif. — There appears to be room for only one Superman in Los Angeles.

    Lakers center Dwight Howard called out Shaquille O’Neal on Thursday, responding to the former Lakers star and TNT analyst’s comments that both the Philadelphia 76ers’ Andrew Bynum and the Brooklyn Nets’ Brook Lopez are the best true big men in the game today.

    “I don’t care what Shaq says,” Howard told reporters after practice. “Shaq played the game. He’s done. He’s gone. It’s time to move on.”

    Speaking in a roundtable discussion with fellow TNT analysts on NBA TV’s Open Court and posted on NBA.com last week, O’Neal placed Howard below Lopez and Bynum because of his “pick-and-roll” style of play.

    “We as players, we always watch people before us,” O’Neal said. “When I came in, it was Patrick Ewing and Hakeem Olajuwon, guys who played like true centers who played inside. What we have now are centers that are going to the European style, which is a lot of pick-and-roll. Dwight Howard, who’s a pick-and-roll player, some people say he’s the best center in the league, but me being an old-school center, I’m going to go with Robin Lopez and Andrew Bynum because they play with their back to the basket.”

    O’Neal later corrected himself to say he was speaking about Brook Lopez and not his brother, Robin, who plays for the New Orleans Hornets.

    Howard, who practiced without any limitations for the third straight day as he recovers from offseason back surgery, pointed out what he perceived as O’Neal being a hypocrite.

    ================================================

    Click on link to read in full .
    ===================================================

    Tophatal ………………

  11. When it’s all said and done, Al, we need to remember that Mike Brown is the coach of this Lakers team.

    Unlike Phil, who could handle a handful of egos, I’m not convinced Brown can do the same, and he’ll have plenty this year.

    It would be nice for Kobe to just say “No Comment” on some of this Smush stuff, but that just wouldn’t be Kobe.

    And the Dwight-Shaq banter is just kid stuff. Dwight won’t have the same sort of legacy on the league that Shaq has. Shaq’s a top five center of all-time. Not sure that, when it’s all said and done, Howard will have that same sort of impact.

  12. Whatever Chump, Kobe is a shit teammate. Their problems did start with Kobe and that’s why they had to get other guys to build the team around. LAL won 2 more titles with their size. Not Kobe.

  13. Pest…

    By no means am I a Kobe defender but, while they got some good size and role players to support, Kobe was still the man on those teams.

    They might not have won without them but they definitely wouldn’t have won without Kobe.

  14. I hear Mike Brown has been on the line , to a list of noted psycho analysts , from Jeff Gardierre to Drew Pinsky and Dr Phil (McGraw). It seems there are no takers with any of the trio being interested in assisting Brown with issues and the Lakers . I wonder why ?

    Look , Brown is no Phil Jackson, by any stretch of the imagination . He’s certainly not one of the top 5 or 6 coaches in the NBA , and that’s even based on his resume` .

    If Shaq were to un-retire and make a return to the NBA , where would you rank him amongst the current crop NBA centers ?

    Tophatal ….

  15. I see that Peyton got the Broncos back to winning ways last night . Get the feeling that if the Chargers don’t have a successful season , Rivers will want out ? At the same time the front office have to get rid of Norv Turner and GM A J Smith . Look at the lack of success that the franchise has had over the past six years never mind that they haven’t had a flat out bona fide successful draft pick in that time-frame that literally has you saying ” wow !

    Tophatal …………

  16. My mother always told me “if you don’t have anything nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all” so ………

  17. Does Goodell really have something to hide ?

    Judge wants to see NFL’s bounty evidence

    The four players who were suspended as a result of the league’s investigation into the Saints’ bounty program have always said they want to see all the evidence. Now a judge has said he wants to see the evidence, too.

    Magistrate Daniel Knowles has told NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to provide the court with documents related to the bounty case, and the NFL has confirmed that it will comply and give Knowles all the information he is asking for.

    Knowles’ order is something of a compromise: Lawyers for Jonathan Vilma had asked the judge to order the NFL to give the evidence directly to Vilma, but Knowles said he’ll look at it first before determining whether the league is required to let Vilma see it.

    The documents include transcripts of interviews with witnesses, and may provide a fuller picture of exactly what the NFL has on Vilma. The question now is whether the judge will be the only one to see that picture, or whether Vilma — and possibly the public — will get to see the complete picture as well.

    =============================================

    Tophatal ……………..

  18. Al…

    Brown’s clock is ticking, particularly with the talent he has on that roster this year.

    In his final years, Shaq proved to us he could no longer play the game. He was too heavy, too slow and could barely get off the ground.

    Peyton looked pretty sharp last night but then again, it was against the Chargers who continue to prove how inept they can truly be.

    Did you see Rivers ended that game with a 2.3 QBR rating? How very Grossman-like.

  19. Al…

    This is what every knowledgeable sports fan has been complaining about for some time now. The Saints have not been convicted by a jury of their peers but rather a jury of one.

    None of it makes sense. Isn’t Goodell a damn lawyer?

    All any of us can hope for is that Goodell was covering something up in the Saints case. ike my boy the Arthritic Semitic said in that Q&A piece (http://sportschump.net/2012/09/24/conversation-with-a-saints-fan-another-sportschump-qa/10137/), how can the punishments be levied when all the information hasn’t been presented yet.

    I’ll be interested in seeing what becomes of all that. I’m pretty sure NFL attorneys are working ’round the clock to cover their tracks.

  20. Well, Jed, according to Parker, it may as well have been Kobe who shipped him out.

    Trust me, this year, Smush Parker would start for the Orlando Magic.

    Ugh, don’t remind me.

  21. I’m as good a writer as there is, been doing it 45-years, my forte is fiction, but whether someone is as good as me, better, or worse, I never badmouth them, if I’m giving them asked-for advice I always tell them you better have a thickskin cause I can’t help you pulling punches but that stays between me and them, to publicly criticize someone the way Kobe does is low class, vile and serves nothing other than his ego. When I lost the NGS2 in an 11th-round upset, mostly I was upset, I posted one key thing that eluded most, “If you can’t recognize greatness in others, you’ll never recognize it in yourself”

    This is some great scribble, how can you kick a guy named Smush and Kwame, didn’t they scribble that great tune, “Way Down Upon the Kwame River” for him?

  22. Man, how I love the Duck.

    If you look over the comments above, you’ll find even the most ardent Lakers fan cracking on Kobe for his shitty teammate-ness.

    If he keeps this up, he won’t come close to his sixth ring… and that’d be just fine with me.

  23. Pingback: Sports Chump » Down and Out in Beverly Hills: The Disruptive Influence of a Tweeting Mamba

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