Kobe Bryant has a bit of a reputation for being a difficult teammate to deal with. While there are sure to be many former and current teammates who dispute that fact, there are some other ways Bryant’s attitude rears its head.
A study done on HoopsHype, Kobe has amassed 118 technical fouls over the last 10 seasons, good for second-most in the NBA:
First on the list is the infamous Rasheed Wallace with 119 technicals. A massive number made even worse by the fact that Wallace totaled it in only seven seasons. Rounding out the top five of the list is a pair of New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, and Amare Stoudemire with 112 and 101 technicals respectively, and Stephen Jackson with 99.
Kobe doesn’t have the reputation as someone who berates officials on a regular basis, but having this many technical fouls shows that Bryant does have his run-ins from time to time. It is likely that a number of Bryant’s technicals come from complaining about foul calls or making angry gestures during the game. Before this season, Bryant had double-digit technicals in every year except 2012, when he had nine. This isn’t some crazy run for a couple of years, it is a habit that has been steady for years now.
The good news is that these are usually single technical fouls, and Bryant is rarely ejected from games, having only four since 2005. Bryant may get frustrated at the moment, but he rarely lets it get out of control to the point that he has to leave the game.
That is the most important thing to remember in this instance. Even still, seeing Bryant this high on that list has to come as something of a shock.
