Lakers coach Byron Scott has held Bryant out of most practices and shootarounds this season. Thursday was the veteran star's first full practice with the team in over two weeks
Bryant was also getting on Jeremy Lin during the scrimmage, daring him to shoot whenever he had the ball, yelling, "This mother----- don't got s---. He ain't got s--- right now. Shoot! Shoot!" After Lin missed a pull-up jumper, Bryant said, "I talked his ass right into that bulls---. I talked his a--- right into that bulls---."
By the end of the scrimmage, which the starters won, Bryant said, "Practice gets real uncomfortable when I'm in this mother----."
After the team gathered together at center court to close practice, Bryant passed Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and said, "I'm supposed to practice and get better, Mitch. I'm supposed to practice and get better. These motherf-----s ain't doing s--- for me."
Bryant said Thursday's practice was no different than any other one he participates in except for maybe the fact that the media got a courtside view of him trying to motivate his younger teammates.
"No, I was just being myself," Bryant said. "I don't know if it helps them, but it obviously raises the intensity level. It was a tough practice for them ... It's really good for Nick, aside from the fun of bantering back and forth and the trash talk, just fundamentally some of the techniques and things that I use. He gets a chance to really see up close those little tricks."
Bryant said Young got the trash talking started Monday. "I think Nick probably regrets getting me started at practice and saying something," he said.
And what did Bryant think when Young said no one could guard him one-on-one? "Thank god, I'm not from this world," Bryant said.
