Kobe Bryant‘s wife Vanessa has filed for divorce after more than 10 years of marriage, and this will be a distraction that will negatively effect the Los Angeles Lakers for the entire season.
Bryant is one of the sport’s biggest stars and the most marketable NBA player the league has worldwide. Simply put, he is a basketball icon.
Every time he speaks people listen, he’s not afraid to be honest on basketball matters, and his every move is reported and speculated on.
For a Lakers team already dealing with distractions following NBA commissioner David Stern’s decision to kill a trade that would have sent star point guard Chris Paul to the purple and gold, only to see him wind up with the Los Angeles Clippers, the team will be a complete mess this season.
Not only will reporters bombard Bryant with questions regarding his divorce and off the court troubles, his teammates will be asked about it too, and you can bet they will get tired of it real quick.
For head coach Mike Brown, was this what he thought his first few weeks leading the Lakers would be like? He is about to step into his worst nightmare, and I really feel bad for him.
The Lakers’ season did not look promising entering this shortened year due to the age of the team and lack of a real point guard, but now their chances of doing anything special have severely decreased.
This is Hollywood, where gossip is king and these sort of stories drag down the images and careers of entertainment’s biggest stars.
This story isn’t going away any time soon and it could get even worse if more details leak, which is the absolute last thing the team needs.
The Lakers will face many challenges this season. Not only do they have to move on from losing Phil Jackson, the most successful coach in NBA history, they must find a way to rebuild a roster that can continue the franchise’s recent championship success.
Bryant’s on-court performance will likely be affected this season as his divorce will occupy much of his free time away from the Lakers.
Fans at opposing arenas will heckle him and his teammates with words I cannot repeat here, and any respect the public had for him could be lost.
With the news of Bryant’s divorce, the Lakers have now added another distraction to their growing list for this season, and the proud franchise is now a ship sinking faster to the bottom each day.
Nicholas Goss is an NBA Featured Columnist at Bleacher Report, follow him on Twitter.
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