Kobe Bryant is out for the season, but his social-media presence is rounding into postseason form.
The Lakers’Â quarrelsome superstar found himself in Twitter tiffs on Monday and Tuesday, channeling aggression he can’t relieve on the court into angry rants online.
First, he took issue with backlash about Russell Westbrook’s 54-point outburst — on 43 shots — Sunday in a 116-104 loss to the Pacers. The same hangups that media and Twitter trolls had with Bryant, a volume shooter, they blasted Westbrook for. And who better communicate the frustration than Eyeroll Hall of Famer Liz Lemon?
https://twitter.com/kobebryant/status/587684147516190720
https://twitter.com/kobebryant/status/587771456110469120
https://twitter.com/kobebryant/status/587779838603198467
Bryant’s “Did you Know?” answer, of course: Michael Jordan in 1993, Game 3 of the Bulls’ series against the Suns.
But the media wouldn’t #StopIt, and the next day Bryant took the offensive with more unbridled thoughts, this time targeting LeBron James detractors.
https://twitter.com/kobebryant/status/587998618935660544
https://twitter.com/kobebryant/status/588003987023998976
And there’s the rub: Kobe Bryant criticizing the media for criticizing Shaquille O’Neal’s work ethic.
“I like players who workout. I use to do that 6-7 hours per day. I cannot stand players who practice for 30 minutes,” said one critic named Kobe Bryant about O’Neal in 2011. “I need to say something to them.”