Dudley and Bryant in 2010
Phoenix Suns forward Jared Dudley celebrates next to Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant in the fourth quarter during Game 4 of the NBA Western Conference finals in Phoenix, May 25, 2010. Reuters/Rick Scuteri

After his recent statements, it’s safe to say that Milwaukee Bucks star Jared Dudley has just turned all Lakers and Knicks fans against him. Dudley told ESPN that other NBA players are hesitant to join the Lakers because of Kobe Bryant, who Dudley described as a great player but one whose game doesn’t attract other players.

Dudley also called Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks star and franchise player, the most overrated player in the entire league.

“Most guys don’t want to play with Kobe. He gets in this thing where he doesn’t pass and then overpasses and then trying to get triple doubles every night, so we know you have it,” Dudley told ESPN. “That’s why I think it will be a while for the Lakers to get good because they’ve got no stars. I would be surprised if (Kevin) Love goes there.”

Dudley also compared Bryant to Michael Jordan’s time with the Washington Wizards where the latter played in the final years of his career. “If you saw Jordan when he played with the Wizards, he started toning it down a little bit,” Dudley said. “He knew he didn’t have it. Kobe is the opposite. He wants to show everyone so much. I remember seeing Kobe, I think it was 70 games in [this past season] and he had outshot the whole Lakers team by like 100 shots. C’mon now. We love you, Kobe, but c’mon. It’s, like, it’s now time to start giving up. Most guys don’t want to play with Kobe."

As expected, Dudley drew some flak on Twitter for his comments. Dudley defended his comments and stood by his word.

Meanwhile, Dudley retracted his statement about Anthony being overrated. "I shouldn’t have said that. That was my fault for saying that because it’s not the truth," Dudley said. ... I apologize for saying that about Carmelo."

RELATED STORIES