Kobe’s kind of town: Chicago

December 18th, 2007, 5:23 pm · Post a Comment · posted by KEVIN DING, OCREGISTER.COM

CHICAGO — Kobe Bryant is in Chicago, and he’s not being shy about the old trade talk … which shows just how old the talk is (even if it was real talk).

Bryant confirmed his interest in Chicago and the intensity of the Lakers’ trade discussions with the Bulls before the regular season began.

Bryant said Chicago was “on his list … with a bullet.” Asked when it was so high on his list, Bryant said: “Right after training camp was when talks really heated up. After then, it all calmed down.”

Bryant said he could not maintain focus on both the business side and basketball side of his career, so he chose to lock in on basketball. He didn’t even try to hide his interest at the time in Chicago — and in fact made light of it.

When asked what it was about Chicago that he liked so much, he joked: “Pizza. Deep-dish pizza.”

Now, that’s a great answer — one I can validate from my years at Northwestern University here and from having had Giordano’s last night and Pizzeria Uno this afternoon.

In response to his joke, Bryant laughed and added: “I’m having a great time. We’re playing well; we’re enjoying each other’s company. That makes the journey that much more fun.”

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