Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Joins NBA TV’s GameTime as Special In-Studio Guest & Kobe Bryant Joins Show on Night of Scoring Milestone
VIDEO CLIPS:
Kobe joins GameTime and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar after his milestone night.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joins the GameTime to discuss Kobe’s milestone.
NBA GameTime
Larry Smith (host), Greg Anthony and Dennis Scott (analysts)
NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar joined GameTime in studio.
Lakers guard Kobe Bryant joined the GameTime studio team via ArenaLink following the Lakers/Hornets game in which Bryant became the youngest player in NBA history to reach 30,000 career points
Kobe Bryant on the Lakers turning a corner: “It is coming along. The critical stretch for us is the last five six minutes of a close ball game. Most of the games we have won so far have been blow-outs. We still haven’t won one of those critical games. We have some things to figure out down the stretch but I think we will do okay.”
Bryant on his passion and work ethic allowing him to become the fifth player to score 30,000 points: “I really just love what I do. I just have a passion for it. I thoroughly enjoy it. This is my 17th year and for some reason that passion hasn’t gone down. I have no explanation for it. It actually has increased. I just have so much love for the game and I just enjoy working hard and doing what I do best.”
Bryant on the Lakers working together defensively: “We are working on some things execution wise. We have to have a physical presence defensively. We can’t be soft defensively or just out there…we have to be physical. We have to continue to support each other. Having Pau [Gasol] and Steve [Nash] out obviously changes things a bit. When they come back, they will have to get back in sync with what we are doing defensively. That’s what wins championships – defensive rebounding – and that is what we have to sure up.”
Abdul-Jabbar on Bryant’s shooting ability: “Kobe is the ultimate opportunist. He has such incredible range. That is one thing that has been the hallmark of his career. He can make baskets in buckets from anywhere on the court. I was amazed the years that I was coaching the Lakers that as soon as he crosses half-court, he is a danger to shoot the ball and make it. That is an incredible amount of pressure to put on the defense. That’s why he has been so successful. He prepared himself to succeed from anywhere on the court.”
Abdul-Jabbar on the Lakers chemistry: “They have to go out there and see what happens when all of them are out there and going full speed. It is going to be several weeks, maybe a month or two, before they have an opportunity to really start rolling.”
Abdul-Jabbar on Lakers head coach Mike D’Antoni tweaking his system: “The great thing about having that type of talent is you can emphasize what’s working for you. The really dominant teams could do it either way; they could run or play the set up game. They have got to figure out how they are going to do it, just like a doctor figuring out how to operate. They have to study it and figure out what works the best.”
Abdul-Jabbar on remembering the night he surpassed Wilt [Chamberlin] to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer: “I was getting passes I usually didn’t get. Guys wanted to see me get it done. All of a sudden the paradigm shifted a little bit. They were looking for me; they wanted to see it get done. When I got within two points, Magic [Johnson] put himself in the game and said ‘If he is going to break the record, I’m giving him the assist.’ He came in; I made the shot and made that milestone.”
Abdul-Jabbar on his signature sky-hook: “When I was in the fifth grade, some guy taught me the drill to do that shot. Now all the kids want to do is shoot three-pointers. They don’t understand how to play with your back to the basket and get high-percentage points in the paint. It is a very fundamental part of the game. If you have one and don’t have the other, it is very hard to win a game. You really have to have a balanced approach to the game, the athletes have to have versatility and know how to exploit the game.”
Abdul-Jabbar on Heat forward LeBron James: “I don’t think LeBron [James] plays the game the way Magic [Johnson] played. LeBron is a frontcourt player; Magic was a perimeter player. I think the remarkable thing in terms of his career is his maturity and the fact that he’s learned every year. I really felt for him on all the negativity he absorbed when he left Cleveland. He worked his butt off. I was really happy to see all of that change, to see him mature and become a leader. That’s the real gem in all of this. He has become a leader, he knows how to go out there and set the tone. They have worked out a great team ethic and tactic that enables to dominate. I expect them to keep dominating.”
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