National Basketball Association

Kobe reveals how 'a real competitor' would react to KD joining Warriors

Published Aug. 26, 2016 7:49 p.m. ET

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Kobe Bryant was considered the last of a dying breed of NBA player by many, due to his fiercely competitive nature and his 20 years with the Lakers, but he says he doesn't look at Kevin Durant any differently for leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder to join the Golden State Warriors.

In fact, Bryant says "a real competitor" would welcome the challenge of Durant joining the Warriors.

"As a competitor, I would have thought less about myself if I looked at that move and said 'That's unfair'," Bryant said on "The Jim Rome Show" this week.

"If you're a real competitor, you look at that and say 'OK, lace 'em up. Let's go. I don't care how many players you have over there, we're still going to take you down.'"

You can bet no one feels that way more than Russell Westbrook. So it's no surprise that Bryant said the Thunder star is the one player in the NBA who most reminds him of himself.

"When I turn on the TV and watch players play, the player who plays with the same kind of emotion and grit and competitive intensity is Russell," Bryant said. "He's going hard, doesn't matter who's playing against, doesn't matter what the odds are ... he's going 110 percent every single time."