Kobe irritated by commercial question
MINNEAPOLIS -- Kobe Bryant appears in a commercial for a video game called "Call of Duty: Black Ops." He is seen shooting a weapon with the word Mamba on it. Jimmy Kimmel is in it, too. There are a bunch of explosions and people are firing off guns left, right and center. At the end, the words "There's a soldier in all of us" appear on the screen. It's raised a few eyebrows around the NBA, which has a strict anti-gun policy (see: Arenas, Gilbert).
Bryant reacted with disdain when asked about the commercial tonight.
Here's the conversation ...
Reporter: "This commercial you did, this Black Ops thing ..."
Bryant: "That's some silly (stuff). Next. I guess that's the end of the questions."
Reporter: "I don't mean to put a judgment on the question ..."
Bryant: "That's silly."
Reporter: "Why?"
Bryant: "Next question."
Later, Bryant and the reporter talked quietly in a hallway outside the locker room.
I have to say I am extremely irritated by Kobe's participation in the commercial. And it has nothing to do with the NBA's "gun" problem. Rather, it has everything to do with a horrendous game and commercial that glorify war. Maybe Kobe should spend a little time at Walter Reed and learn more about the true cost of war before endorsing a video game like this. I know this is a bold statement, but I think this endorsement is an even bigger lapse in judgment than the whole Colorado incident.