Kobe On Seattle: “I’d Much Rather Come Here In The Postseason Than Oklahoma”

During Kobe Bryant‘s whirlwind tour of Seattle for Richard Sherman‘s celebrity softball game — where he he hit a home run — and the Jamal Crawford Summer Pro Am — where Crawford introduced him as “this generation’s Michael Jordan,” Kobe also found time to stick it to Oklahoma City.

Kobe hadn’t been back in Seattle since before owner Clay Bennett moved the Seattle Supersonics from Seattle to Oklahoma City and changed their name to the Thunder. Kobe, certainly aware of where he was at the moment, even provided Seattle fans with a minor dig at Oklahoma City:

“I’ve always enjoyed coming here. I’d much rather come here in the postseason than Oklahoma,” Bryant said.

Kobe’s Lakers team has only traveled to Oklahoma City twice for the playoffs. His Lakers defeated Kevin Durant and a young Thunder squad 4-2 during their best-of-seven first-round series win in 2010. Those Lakers went on to capture their second consecutive title and Kobe’s fifth.

But KD and company got retribution for that early first-round loss, beating the Lakers 4-1 in the Western Conference Semifinals before OKC went all the way to a Finals berth in 2012. Despite losing in Oklahoma City two years later, Kobe was 18-for-33 from the field for 42 points in OKC’s series-clinching Game 5 win.

So it’s not like Kobe can’t produce in Oklahoma, he just prefers going to Seattle for playoff games. Plus, Kobe knows it’s a travesty there’s no professional basketball in Seattle, and comments like this have to make Seattle denizens feel good, even if it doesn’t change their current predicament. Hedge fund manager Chris Hansen is working his best to change that.