Last night, Kobe Bryant led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 103-99 win and 38-point otburst against the Dallas Mavericks? Why was this any more relevant than any other Lakers win led by Bryant, you ask? Well, it all started a few days ago when Mavs owner and billionaire Mark Cuban suggested that the Lakers "amnesty" Kobe Bryant so that can shed his massive, $30.5 million contract. That didn't sit so well with Mr. Bryant, who is already going through a tough season and recently lost his mansion despite his wife's agreement to get back together and end the couple's divorce proceedings.
After last night's satisfying victory, Bryant took to twitter to rub it a bit more in Cuban's face.
"Amnesty THAT"
- Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013
Wow. Here is Bryant also on last night's shooting performance. "It's just what I'm supposed to do," Bryant said. "It's about that time." [...] "Those are shots that I work on. I didn't feel like I was hot or anything," Bryant said. "I feel like I was making shots that I'm supposed to make. When you work on them hundreds of times, then you've got to put them in the basket."
Cuban, while obviously the loser in this war of words, did feel a bit of joy knowing he could get under the Lakers star's skin.
"Nice to know there is a least one team and theirplayers, outside of the Mavs, that listen to everything I say." - Mark Cuban (@mcuban) February 24, 2013
This, of course, is probably the best victory Kobe has had recently.
While the Los Angeles Laker was able to reconcile differences with his wife Vanessa Bryant to call of their divorce proceedings, the timing couldn't have been much worse for the couple. The near-divorce has cost Bryant and his family their beloved $3 million mansion Vanessa was awarded during the initial divorce proceedings.
According to TMZ, Mrs. Bryant sold the 6,000-square-foot mansion for roughly $3.22 million when it closed in January, but the canceled divorce won't bring back the home they first purchased in 1999 for $1 million. As if that wasn't bad enough, Bryant initially listed the home for $3.75 million and allowed it to go for more than a half a million dollars less than the listed price. Ouch.
Thankfully, last night's win means at least some things look to be up in Mr. Bryant's neighborhood.