Midway through what was supposed to be a dream season, the 2012-13 Los Angeles Lakers were in danger of missing the playoffs because of an endless series of key injuries.
They started to pick things up, winning 10 of 14 games, but they still found themselves at 27-29 when they faced the Dallas Mavericks on the road on Feb. 24.
With the Lakers seemingly in shambles, Mavs owner Mark Cuban suggested they use the NBA’s amnesty provision to cut Bryant and get out of having to pay his massive contract in order to get their finances in order.
That suggestion irked the Black Mamba, and he decided to send Dallas a message. He scored 38 points on 13-of-21 shooting, to go along with 12 rebounds and seven assists, and he carried Los Angeles down the stretch to a 103-99 win.
Just after the contest, Bryant took to Twitter to fire back at Cuban, his team and his fan base.
Amnesty THAT
— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013
It was a reminder that throwing shade at Bryant wasn’t a wise thing to do.
