Jim Rome - Kobe Bryant Interview

Jim Rome: Kobe, what about a gold medal, I mean if you had to pick. If i put a gun to your head. A gold medal or a 4th championship ring. Which one?

Kobe Bryant: Man, you might as well just pull the trigger man, cuz I'm gonna say both.

Jim Rome: hahaha let's not get greedy with it now Maba.

Kobe Bryant: Hey man, you may as well take me out man. Now you know, hey that's what you live for. I want both, I want both and you know we are just fortunate. Hopefully, uhh I.. I will stay healthy the rest of the season and have an opportunity to win a gold medal. You know pow and ow are already talking trash. Already, because the have a hell of a team in Spain and we are having a good time with that.

Jim Rome: Yeah, some guys that saw you working out in Vegas said, "You've never seen a guy go as hard as he does. The cat's just different. He's on a mission."

At this point in your career, what is the mission? Is it the gold medal, is it the NBA championship, is it to be the best in the world? Exactly what is it right now?

Kobe Bryant: It's winning the championship, winning the gold medal. I think, you know for me personally, I've...throughout the years I've gained the respect of my peers in terms of what they think of me when I step out on the basketball floor. You know, the the one thing that I want to have is winning the championship and elevating my team mates to that level. And uh...winning the gold medal, obviously would be extremely special. Just the state of things, uh in our world today and where we are uh stuff that we fight for as a country and, you know for us to put on that USA uniform and go out there and to represent our country and to kind of do our part. Obviously is. we are not soldiers, we are not fighting or dying for our country. But this is our small way to kind of represent the United States of America and it is important that we put that much emphasis on it because it is that serious.

Jim Rome: Alright, so.....