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At 2012 Olympics, Kobe Bryant told Russell Westbrook not to defer to Kevin Durant with Thunder

Thunder stars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook and Lakers star Kobe Bryant

ORLANDO, FL - FEBRUARY 25: Kobe Bryant #24 of the Los Angeles Lakers stands with Kevin Durant #35 and Russell Westbrook #0 of the Oklahoma City Thunder during the All-Star Practice on center court at Jam Session during the NBA All-Star Weekend on February 25, 2012 at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2012 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

NBAE via Getty Images

Kobe Bryant reportedly spent the 2012 Olympics trash-talking Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook.

Durant had just led the NBA in scoring. Durant’s and Westbrook’s Thunder beat Bryant’s Lakers in the second round en route to the NBA Finals and were clearly a rising power. But Los Angeles added Dwight Howard and Steve Nash and still planned to compete.

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

In 2012, what I remember with Kobe was he spent a lot of the – or he spent some of that – Olympics with Russell Westbrook telling Russ, “You know, you should be winning scoring titles. I don’t know why you’re letting Kevin win scoring titles. You should be the one winning them.” Anything he could do to plant a little seed of dissent with two teammates, it was pretty funny.

The Lakers didn’t hold up. Nash was washed up. Howard struggled through injury then left after only one year. Bryant’s health soon deteriorated.

But Oklahoma City never fulfilled its promise, either. Westbrook grew into a bigger role – which created many awkward moments when he dominated the ball as the more-efficient Durant stood off to the side.

In 2016, Durant – reportedly frustrated with Westbrook hogging the ball and clogging spacing – left the Thunder for the Warriors. Durant said he was tired of being the team’s only player who could reliably shoot jumpers.

What a classic Kobe story.