Charles Barkley Calls Kobe Bryant A ‘Loner,’ Not Shocked By Awkward Press Conference

The Los Angeles Laker’s introductory press conference for new players was an awkward affair at best, but according to TNT Analyst and Hall of Famer, Charles Barkley, it isn’t at all surprising Kobe hasn’t reached out to his new teammates.

Barkley appeared on ESPN’s Mike & Mike radio show on Thursday morning to illustrate why he thinks so. “Do I think it’s unusual? No,” he said. “Kobe is a loner. He’s obviously one of the 10 greatest basketball players ever, and he’s always treated me with respect. But he’s a loner. He’s got a one-track mind as far as basketball goes, and I don’t think he’s the type of guy — doesn’t make him a bad guy — who’s gonna reach out to guys like that. He will see them in training camp.”

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And Barkley has a point. As the jaded superstar of the Lakers since his drafting in 1996, Kobe has already established his reputation on the team, previously reaching out to new players when he was a rookie. Naturally, even new players have to pay their dues and that includes being the first to reach out to him. You never see CEOs and Board Members greeting their new cleaning staff, and Kobe is the on-court CEO of the Lakers.

During his younger days, before he was yelling at referees about how many points he had at the power forward position, Barkley was the one reaching out to the stars of his team.

“I think that I reached out to the stars, not the role players. Like when I got traded to Phoenix, I think I called Kevin Johnson and Dan Majerle, and when I got traded to Houston, I reached out to Hakeem Olajuwon.”

So, while it may have been awkward for the new players, it might be an effective way to enforce a hierarchy that has produced many NBA finals berths in the past.