‘It’s like, ‘This dude is nuts.’ But when you grow up, I loved the game so much. It wasn’t on purpose to be a bad friend or not to be as good of a friend. It takes time to do that. It takes a lot of energy to do that.
‘Consciously, all my energy was focused on one thing. It’s like, friends, I have friends that have known me since I was 11.
‘They know that that’s how I am. But nine times out of 10, that’s how they are too. Because they’re as driven at what they do as what I am. It works out.’
Kobe Bryant, who is the Lakers all time leading scorer, has yet to comment about trademarking ‘Friends Hang Sometimes Banners Hang Forever.’