Kobe Bryant 'Completely Disagrees' With Kanye West's Slavery Remarks
NBA legend Kobe Bryant just made it clear that he does not have same the same opinion as Kanye West regarding the topic of slavery.
In a video shared by TMZ Live, the former Los Angeles Lakers star was asked by a high school student during the We Rise LA event that aims to honor the mental health awareness month what he thought about the argument of the "Famous" rapper which claimed that "slavery is a choice."
The retired basketball player initially joked about his reaction, saying: "I'm sure the same way everybody else here in this room feels, 'What the hell are you talking about?' I think that was my reaction as is everybody else's reaction."
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Bryant was reacting to West's statements in a separate interview with the publication, where he said that 400 years of slavery sounded like a "choice" and claimed that being enslaved for 400 years felt like being mentally imprisoned.
The Black Mamba also said that West is entitled to his own personal opinion since he is living in a democratic country, but he believed that anyone could also say their own piece regarding the statement since everyone has the freedom to say what they want.
"I think, for him, he's one of these entertainers that's always in a constant state of growth, he's always challenging, not us as people, but really himself. He's doing a lot of questioning internally himself, so I just take it for what it is and completely disagree," the two-time NBA Finals MVP stated.
Aside from talking about his views regarding West's controversial statement, the Bryant also aimed to inspire the attendees of the 10-day festival who are struggling with their fear of failing.
He recalled that during his first year in the NBA when he was just 18-years-old, he shot several airballs in front of a large audience during his first time at the playoffs. That made him realize that he was not strong enough at that time. However, he mentioned that he also encountered emotional distress after his realization during that time.
However, he also mentioned that it is important to recognize the negative emotions that people feel when dealing with fear or insecurity. "It's very easy to take the fear and push it down and try to act like it doesn't exist. The reason it starts with imagination is because you first must imagine the life you want to have. You must first imagine what it is that you dream of becoming," he also said.
In his case, Bryant stated that he used to imagine that he will become one of the greatest basketball players of all time. He also claimed that he dreamed of being included in the playing roster of the LA Lakers. He used to imagine that he will win multiple championships, too.
True enough, he became a series MVP and Finals MVP twice, as well as lead the Lakers to win the championship five times over. He was also hailed as one of the highest scoring players in the history of the NBA.
