By Scott Cacciola,The Wall Street Journal
Gather around, everybody. Old Man Bryant has something he wants to say. He may want to tell you about Anthony Davis’s tenuous position as the youngest player on the U.S. men’s basketball team: “If he doesn’t listen, we’re going to shave his unibrow.” Or Russell Westbrook’s eclectic wardrobe: “I know he wears a lot of weird s—. It’s a generational thing.” Or maybe the proposed age limit for Olympic basketball players: “I think it’s stupid.”
Kobe Bryant, once a mercurial teenage prodigy, has a new role at the London Olympics: the elder statesman of U.S. basketball. At 33, Bryant is the oldest player on Team USA, which will open its Olympic competition Sunday against France. In fact, Bryant is the only American in his 30s. So it’s understandable if he feels he has earned the right to say whatever he wants to whomever he wants.
No one has been immune from Bryant’s acid wit—and we mean no one. When President Barack Obama and the first lady, Michelle Obama, were shown on the “Kiss Cam” during Team USA’s exhibition against Brazil on July 16 in Washington, D.C.—and initially demurred before smooching the second time they were shown—Bryant offered up some postgame analysis. “PDA isn’t for everybody,” he said. “But he makes the important decisions, so it’s all good.”
It’s important to note that Bryant has been more playful than cantankerous. He softens the sledgehammer’s blow with a smile. And at this (late) stage of his career, he understands the unique dynamics of a team packed with intergalactic superstars. As Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski put it, “We have a bunch of guys who need to touch the ball.”
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