Kobe Bryant has insisted that he has no problem with new Los Angeles Lakers teammate Larry Nance Jr after it emerged that he had sent a controversial tweet about the five-time NBA champion in 2012.
Nance was drafted by the Lakers with the 27th pick in Thursday's Draft and it was quickly revealed that the Wyoming forward had referenced Bryant's 2004 sex assault case on the social networking site.
The post read: "Gee I sure hope Kobe can keep his hands to himself in Denver this time. #rapist"
However, Bryant has confirmed that he spoke to the 22-year-old and accepted his apology shortly after the Lakers decided to draft him.
"The kid figured it out himself," Bryant told ESPN. "He's a kid, man. He actually sent me a great message, which is really funny. I looked at it, and it was like, 'This is when you know it's about time to hang these things up, when your teammate writes you, Hi, Mr. Bryant.'
"But it was really nice and apologetic about what had happened. I said, 'Dude, listen. We've all said things and done things that we regret and wish we could take back. It's water under the bridge, man. Welcome to the team.' He writes back, 'Thank you, sir.'"
The case against Bryant was dropped in September 2004 after his accuser refused to testify at the trial, but a civil lawsuit did end with an out-of-court settlement.
Callum Mulvihill
