Smush Parker Opens Up On Kobe Bryant Disrespecting Him: “I Felt Small”

Smush Parker got real on the infamous story of Kobe Bryant disrespecting him when he tried to speak to the Lakers legend as teammates.

4 Min Read

Credit: Fadeaway World

Smush Parker and Kobe Bryant were the starting backcourt for the Los Angeles Lakers. The gulf in skill between the two prompted Kobe to never build a relationship with Smush and even led to a disrespectful exchange where Kobe told Parker to get more accolades before talking to him. Parker opened up on how he felt when that exchange went down.

(Starts at 12:00)

“Everybody knows the story. It’s mid-season, I’m the starting point guard at that time… I ain’t talk to Kobe outside playing basketball, so let me say what’s up. We sit next to each other at practice, we sit next to each other before every game. The story has it, I tried going for some small talk and he shut it down… I felt small, I felt disrespected. There’s some from New York City, so there’s a level of respect you show another man. When that line is crossed, things happen. I don’t need to get into details. I didn’t have a response (for Kobe), I knew my place. I just let it go.”

Before discussing the story, Parker shared the details of the professional relationship he shared with Kobe. 

“Off the court, no. A lot of guys might always see each other in practice. That’s just life, we all come in as adults, we all have our family, we all have our friends. A lot of us have sons, wives, and daughters. When we go home, we leave work at work. We go home and take care of business with family. Kobe and I never shared a meal or a milkshake together. When we stepped between those lines, we both were professionals.” 

Parker played on the Lakers for two seasons, averaging 11.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while starting 162 straight games for the franchise. The Lakers would return to contention after Parker left the franchise in 2007, making the 2008 NBA Finals and winning back-to-back titles in 2009 and 2010 with Kobe winning Finals MVP.


Kobe Bryant Didn’t Respect Smush Parker

Kobe Bryant made it clear that he never looked at Parker as an equal in basketball. The infamous incident has been described by Parker before.

“One day in practice I tried to talk to Kobe outside of basketball about football. He looked at me dead serious and said, ‘You can’t talk to me. You need more accolades under your belt before you come talk to me.'” 

Kobe took multiple shots at Parker during their shared time as starting backcourt partners, continuing to harbor bad feelings after his retirement. In a 2019 interview with The Corp With A-Rod and Big Cat, the Lakers legend said he wouldn’t trust Parker even if he was triple-teamed.

“Well, it depends on the team. If I got Smush Parker lagging behind me to shoot, you best believe I’m shooting the m***********.”

Bryant also is on the record saying that Parker never deserved to be in the NBA and was only on the Lakers because the franchise was too cheap to pay for a point guard.

“(Parker was) the worst. He shouldn’t have been in the NBA but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. So we let him walk on.”

The bad feelings run deep, and Parker has previously confirmed that the pair never got a chance to reconcile before Kobe’s untimely passing in 2020. 

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Ishaan Bhattacharya is a content manager for Fadeaway World from New Delhi, India. With his expertise in NBA content creation, Ishaan brings a wealth of experience to his role, contributing to the site's authority and reach within the basketball community. Over the last year, Ishaan has interviewed Ray Allen and Mark Tatum, while also covering the 2023 NBA Abu Dhabi Games which saw the Dallas Mavericks take on the Minnesota Timberwolves.Since joining Fadeaway World in March 2022, Ishaan Bhattacharya has become known for his unique perspective on the NBA. He consistently delivers this insight through his daily news coverage and detailed opinion pieces on the most significant topics in the league.Before his tenure at Fadeaway World, Ishaan worked in corporate communications, where he serviced prominent sports brands, including NBA India, Sports18, Amazon Prime Sports, and Royal Challengers Bangalore. This experience in strategic communications for leading sports entities has enhanced his ability to craft impactful narratives and connect with a global audience.A true MFFLer (Mavs Fan for Life, for the uninitiated), Ishaan is a massive fan of the Dallas Mavericks. When he is not upset about Jalen Brunson walking in free agency, you can see Ishaan as an avid gamer and content creator. His passion for basketball extends beyond the Mavericks, as evidenced by his thoughtfully curated NBA Mount Rushmore, featuring LeBron James, Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Bill Russell—each representing distinct eras and bringing their unique qualities to the game.Featured On: ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher ReportYahoo Sports, NBA, Fox Sports, The Spun
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