Kobe: "You don't want Rondo? Send him my way. I love everything about him."


One of the best in the business, Jackie MacMullan, sat down with Kobe Bryant today for a one-on-one interview. When asked whether the Celtics were better off without Rajon Rondo, "Kobe laughed uproariously -- for a really, really long time." If you recall, Kobe recently called Rondo one of his favorite players in the world. He continued the praise while talking to MacMullan.

"You don't want Rondo? Send him my way," Kobe declared. "I love everything about him. Everything. I love his attitude, I love his chippiness, his edge, his intellect, his know-it-allness. All of it. That's what makes championship players.

"What guard have you seen at his size that will get you 18 assists, 17 boards and 20 points all in one game? That's unheard of. I love that kid. I always make a point of talking to him during All-Star [weekend]. He's one of my favorites."

Sometimes I think Rondo is more respected outside of Boston than he is here. Regular season wins against the Raptors, Magic, Kings, and CP3-less Clippers are great, but come playoff time when stars are needed, Rajon Rondo is a top 5 NBA player. I'm sure Kobe would love playing with Rondo. So would every other star in the league.

MacMullan also got Kobe to talk a bit about his Celtics workout back in 1996 (see pics here and here):
"DJ was awesome, actually," Kobe said. "Once I got there I had to admit, 'Hey, this wasn't as bad as I thought.' I had a great time.

Kobe had been a lifelong Lakers fan, so for him it was hard for him to see himself in Celtics green. Probably as hard as it is for Celtics fans to see the above picture. Sorry about that.