Kobe says he's had no rivals in 16 year career

[Makaveli]

LOS ANGELES -- Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant has always been lauded for his self-motivation and drive to be the best. It's a good thing he had that internal ambition, because according to Bryant, he's gone through his 16-year career without a true rival on the exterior to push him to succeed.

"I didn't have one," Bryant said after scoring 38 points in the Lakers' 115-107 win over the Sacramento Kings on Friday.

 

The Lakers host the Miami Heat on Sunday. Bryant called it a "measuring stick" game against Miami, which has the third-best record in the league at 28-8 and is 3-0 against Bryant and the Lakers since "The Decision."

 

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Despite Bryant's acknowledging that it's not just another game, he wouldn't characterize his relationship with LeBron James as a rivalry.

 

"Not for me," Bryant said. "I get up for everybody just the same, to be honest. It's hard for me to turn my meter up any higher than it normally is."

 

Pretty good stuff, full read here: http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/nba/story/_/id/7640850/los-angeles-lakers-kobe-bryant-says-had-no-rivals-16-year-nba-career

[Real Deal]

"I get up for everybody just the same, to be honest. It's hard for me to turn my meter up any higher than it normally is."

That's awesome.

[Check my Stats]

Hard to be motivated? He probably has 6 pictures like this posted up on his wall:

 

http://thebestten.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/michael-jordan-first-trophy.jpg