Kobe Will Be a Persistent Thorn in LeBron's Side in Los Angeles

Right now, Kobe Bryant is saying all the gracious things about LeBron James’ arrival in Los Angeles. He tweeted a welcome to the family while congratulating Magic, Jeanie, and Pelinka. This came after he was, according to SI’s Lee Jenkins, part of the recruitment process himself in the form of a telephone call.

But make no mistake about it: As soon as the honeymoon period ends, Kobe will be out there undermining LeBron at every step. The Lakers aren’t winning the title next year; if Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have working legs, that’ll be the Warriors.

That means that the only question is whether the Lakers’ playoff exit will come to the Warriors, or before that at the hands of the Rockets or even someone else like the upstart Jazz or fortified Thunder.

There are both subtle or overt ways that Kobe can jab LeBron. For example, he praised LeBron’s much-maligned supporting cast in these playoffs. Look at this segment of Detail; it’s not as though Kobe is bashing LeBron, but he highlights times where he thinks LeBron should be doing things differently:

And then there’s the more obviously aggressive commentary, like when Kobe inserted himself into the MJ-LeBron debate by not-so-subtly pointing out that he has more rings than LeBron. Even with the plausible deniability, it’s obvious to anyone with knowledge of his personality what he’s really saying here:

Unless and until LeBron wins at least one ring with the Lakers, Kobe is going to be out there with commentary that is designed to get under LeBron’s skin. It will be very annoying for him, but that’s what he signed up for.