On Wednesday this past week, Jazz small forward Rodney Hood dropped 21 points during a 117-114 preseason win against the Lakers. He shot 3-of-7 from deep (7/16 overall) in over 36 minutes of action and also enjoyed some good-natured ribbing with Kobe Bryant, as detailed by the Desert News‘ bearded beauty of a beat writer, Jody Genessy.
First, Hood says Kobe took him through his resume.
What did Kobe say to Rodney Hood in Tuesday's game? Hood: "He gave me his resume."
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) October 9, 2015
Re-listened to the Rodney Hood interview. Slight quote correction: "We had a little talk. He was just about (giving me) his resume."
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) October 9, 2015
But the resume Kobe told him about didn’t include what you might expect: the MVP, two Finals MVPs and a five-time NBA champion. No, Kobe wanted Hood to know that he’s got carte blanche to shoot as much as he wants (he actually only took nine shots against the Jazz on Wednesday, going 5-of-9 for 13 points).
Kobe to Hood: "I can shoot it 30 times—you can shoot it 10 times. Don’t try to go there with me." Hood smiled: "To some point he was right."
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) October 9, 2015
Understandably, Hood was impressed by the slight smack talking from Kobe.
I get the feeling Rodney Hood would hire Kobe Bryant based on hearing about his resume. Hood: "Very impressive. Very impressive."
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) October 9, 2015
And Hood’s coach, Quin Snyder — who was an assistant with the Lakers from 2011-12 and is familiar with the way Mamba uses any perceived slight as motivation — wanted to make sure Hood agreed with Kobe’s assessment, even if it was wrong.
Quin Snyder's response to Kobe's message to Rodney Hood: "Kobe's right probably. If he isn't, then Rodney should just tell him he's right."
— Jody Genessy (@DJJazzyJody) October 10, 2015
We’re really starting to love this version of Kobe Bryant. He’s still got some Mamba venom, but it’s tempered a tad by Father Time. Opposing players grew up idolizing Vino, the way previous generations — like Kobe himself — looked up to Micheal Jordan. This makes for all sorts of fun on-court scenarios where younger players interact with their idol.
Here’s hoping Bryant continues to mess with them when they do.
