With the 2018-19 NBA season approaching, Los Angles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant has made numerous appearances to promote his new family-friendly podcast series, “The Punies.”
Despite all of his success with Kobe Inc. and Granity Studios, some basketball fans still want him to come out of retirement and play with LeBron James. Along with that, there was a report about Bryant playing the 2019 BIG3 season, which was quickly refuted.
With Bryant adamant about not coming out of retirement, he is still involved by coaching his second daughter’s basketball team and channeling his inner Phil Jackson.
In discussing the Lakers signing Rajon Rondo, Bryant explained on “The Rich Eisen Show” how the veteran point guard can impact and teach Lonzo Ball in his sophomore season:
“I think there’s a lot to be learned from. Rondo is a student of the game. How he studies the game, I think that’s something Lonzo can learn from. Rondo will sit there and watch film for hours and hours and hours and hours. And dissect and pick things apart to the smallest of detail. I think it’s important for Lonzo to see that. Also, how he facilitates the game, how he reads things happening before they actually happen, how he can manipulate the defense to make things happen. And also defensively, he gets after you. So I think it’s great.”
Although there will be an open competition on who will start alongside James, Rondo will likely serve as Ball’s mentor and insurance policy.
As the four-time All-Star is widely viewed as one of the smartest players in the game, he is still capable of playing major minutes since Ball missed 30 games in his rookie season.
With Ball undergoing left knee surgery during the offseason in hopes of staying healthy, he is expected to be ready by the start of training camp.
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