Kobe Bryant Received Some Rather Insulting Retirement Gifts from His Fellow All-Stars
By Kyle Koster
The NBA’s Kobe Bryant Tribute took precedence over the actual All-Star Game last night and that’s fine. Properly celebrating an all-time great at the expense of a meaningless half-court shot is a decision likely to upset only one ornery blogger.
My issue is with the gifts Bryant got from his fellow All-Stars Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade and Chris Paul at a Saturday night dinner.
"Wade gave him a customized robe and some other clothes bearing his logo — along with a one-year subscription to Netflix, because Bryant is about to have a lot of time on his hands. Paul gave him a bunch of presents that he said would properly prepare Bryant for retirement, such as dental adhesive, reading glasses, compression socks and a cane. Anthony offered a magnum of Gaja Barbaresco, Italian wine for the player who grew up in Italy and says much like vino itself he got better with age."
A subscription to Netflix? You can get one of those for as low as $7.99 a month. And Wade probably got the clothes for free, too. He may have spent less money on Bryant than you do when chipping in for a gift for your office’s least respected employee. Paul’s gifts just seem intentionally mean. Only Anthony showed any thought, but then again, he is notoriously good at sharing.
Although what does one get a guy who has everything?
If you’re wondering if the players have a special name for their once-a-year-dinner, you’ll be happy to know this:
"The dinner was secret, super-exclusive, invitation-only. It’s something the trio started doing last season at All-Star weekend, calling the gathering the Gentleman’s Supper Club. This year, the group wanted Bryant to be tied into it somehow."
Why its implied only one of them is a gentleman is unclear.