Byron Scott is under fire for one of the most tone-deaf and tasteless takes of the NBA season, after he criticized Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum for being wheeled off following his devastating Achilles injury.
Speaking on Byron Scott’s Fast Break, the former Los Angeles Lakers guard attempted to praise Kobe Bryant’s legendary toughness, but did so by dragging Tatum through the mud in a moment that deserved empathy, not derision.
“Let me tell you why it’s straight gangster. You watch him get up, ’cause he thought somebody kicked him, right? Got up, went to the free throw line. You watch his face. There’s no grimacing, no nothing.”
“And again, one of my favorite players in the NBA, Jayson Tatum, pop. I mean, he’s rolling around. You can see the agony. He’s on a wheelchair. I was like, first of all, Kobe would never be wheeled out.”
“Kobe would never be wheeled out. The most gangster s*** I’ve ever seen. Walks up, makes the two free throws, and walked out. Of course, you got a torn Achilles. You ain’t walking normal. He walked out. You will never see nobody… You will never see that again. That’s the most gangster s*** I’ve seen in the NBA.”
Scott went on to call Kobe’s moment “the most gangster s*** I’ve ever seen,” referencing the iconic 2013 incident when Bryant tore his Achilles, sank both free throws, and walked off the court under his own power.
But that was then. This is now. And the NBA world was quick to pounce on Scott’s comparison, calling it not just disrespectful, but emblematic of a toxic obsession with “toughness” that dehumanizes players in the name of glorifying the past.
One fan wrote, “The Mamba Mentality was a cool thing to show Kobe’s hard work and determination, but man, people really take it too far.”
Another added, “Maybe giving everyone a platform was a mistake.”
Others simply called Scott a “clown” and said his take was “inhuman.”
Jayson Tatum is not some fringe player. He’s a franchise cornerstone, a perennial All-NBA selection, and one of the five best players on the planet.
When he collapsed during the 2025 playoffs, writhing in pain, it wasn’t a sign of weakness, it was the human reaction to a catastrophic injury that will likely sideline him for most of next season.
The Celtics, understandably, prioritized his health. Of course, they wheeled him off, that too after he left the court. They weren’t going to risk further damage just to manufacture a “moment.”
Scott conveniently ignored examples like Klay Thompson, who tore his ACL in the 2019 Finals, returned to sink two free throws, and begged to re-enter the game.
Or Kyrie Irving, who stayed down after his own torn ACL this season, sank his free throws, and thanked God as he knew what had happened. Are they any less “gangster” than Kobe because of how their pain looked?
Kyrie Irving is the definition of strength 🙏🏼#MFFL pic.twitter.com/J8DMb1BkYi
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 4, 2025
No.
The obsession with proving toughness by dismissing agony is not just outdated, it’s dangerous. It reduces elite athletes to stoic machines and shames them for reacting to real trauma.
Kobe’s legacy is not in how he walked off the court, it’s in how he inspired players like Tatum to carry the game forward with passion, purpose, and grit. That doesn’t require enduring unnecessary pain for optics.
Byron Scott had a chance to praise both Kobe and Tatum. Instead, he chose to pit eras against each other, cheapening both in the process. For someone who claims to love the game, he showed very little love to one of its brightest stars.
