LA Lakers news pointed to the Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan rivalry after the San Antonio Spurs forward matched his five rings. Meanwhile, Gary Vitti expressed optimism that the "Black Mamba" would be fully healthy this year.
In the latest LA Lakers news, the superstar guard talked about the Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan rival when he gave an interview with Chinese fans at the Shanghai Riverside stadium recently.
When asked about Tim Duncan winning another championship, Kobe Bryant said, "5-5, I got it."
"Pressure? There is always pressure on me. It's no different to me. I enjoy the pressure," he said, as he described the Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan rivalry as "great."
"He's a great guy and an incredible basketball player. I'm very honored that we kind of grew up together competing for championships," he added.
According to the Lakers Nation blog, Tim Duncan may possibly retire after the 2014-2015 season after the Spurs will try to defend their championship. He took a massive paycut in order for that to happen as the 6-11 forward/center will make $10 million. Kobe Bryant, meanwhile, still has two years left on his $48.5 million contract.
Meanwhile, reporter Mike Trudell dished out more LA Lakers news when he spoke with team trainer Gary Vitti who said that he's "100 percent" confident that Kobe Bryant will come back fully healthy.
"I have 100 percent confidence that he'll be healthy because of the way he handles his body and the style of play that we'll compete at. We can't play at a frenetic pace. We can push the ball when it's there, and we can certainly let Kobe create out of the post with his back to the basket at this stage of his career," he said.
Gary Vitti also said that the Lakers will play a style of basketball that will allow Kobe Bryant to maximize his skills.
"(New coach) Byron (Scott) is a Princeton guy and there are going to be a conglomeration of a lot of different things - but when we did, we controlled the pace of the game. Therefore, you put a player like Kobe in the best situation to be successful with the least amount of risk," he said.
