Rasheed Wallace’s unique take on why Kobe Bryant was ‘lucky to be the first’ to play in LA

There’s no doubt that many Los Angeles Lakers fans feel incredibly lucky that the late legend Kobe Bryant spent his entire NBA career in LA

According to former star big man Rasheed Wallace, Bryant himself was lucky enough to play in Los Angeles because of a rather unexpected reason: the weather.

“People don’t realize or understand how key the weather is to your career,” he said. “… If you have guys like, man, Kobe was lucky to play in LA his whole career. Tim Duncan was fortunate to play in San Antonio his entire career. You’re talking about most warm weather cities… where, s—, you feel good. It’s a different mindset in the game because now your body isn’t hurting. Tendinitis does not hurt. … It’s a big difference when you’re in that cold town and that hot town, man.”

It’s an interesting argument to be sure, and Wallace certainly knows what it’s like to play in colder cities. He spent most of his career playing in Portland and Detroit. Both cities are known to get quite cold during the winter months.

Despite this, his career spanned 16 seasons after entering the NBA as the No. 4 overall pick in the 1995 NBA draft. During that time, he averaged 14.4 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. He was also named to four All-Star Game appearances.

Wallace was an exciting player in the NBA. He was known as a loose cannon and is third on the all-time list of technical fouls. When he wasn’t arguing with the officials, he was an incredibly dangerous player.

He is one of the great men of his era who is responsible for changing the position. He shot 33.6 percent from the 3-point line in his career and helped stretch the floor like few big men before his time did.

As for Bryant, he may have benefited from the incredible Southern California weather. However, it seems more likely that he benefited greatly from a city and organization that supported and loved him for most of his NBA career.

Interestingly enough, one of the times Bryant lost in the NBA Finals was at the hands of Wallace and the Detroit Pistons. Wallace was instrumental for his team in that series, posting 13.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

As for Bryant, he averaged 22.6 points per game in that streak.