LOS ANGELES _ It was in the first round of the 2012 playoffs, the Los Angeles Lakers were in Denver, and I couldn't take it anymore.
I couldn't bear one more moment of listening to that smug Kobe Bryant.
Asked about the defense being played on him by the Nuggets' Danilo Gallinari during a postgame news conference, Bryant filled the small media room with dripping sarcasm.
He smiled, shook his head, and said something like, oh yeah, he was real worried, truly bothered, so stressed ...
And I lost it.
"Kobe, you're such an asshole!" I yelled at him.
A couple of writers chuckled. A couple of others gasped. I immediately regretted the outburst. Bryant stood up and left the room with a funny look, as if he wasn't sure exactly what I said.
But television microphones picked up my words and broadcast them worldwide. The next day, Bryant approached me at practice. By then, he knew exactly what I said. He just couldn't believe it.
"Hey, bro, last night, did you really call me an asshole on national television?"
"Um, yes."
He stared down at me. I thought he was going to take a swing. Instead he just sort of laughed.
"Isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black?"
