Who knows how the subject came up in the first place, but the Jerusalem Post reports that when Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant, who averages 34.8 points per game, responded with surprise when a television reporter asked him a question after commenting on the small number of Jewish athletes in professional sports.
“Not too many Jews in professional sports? Hmmm. That sounds kind of weird to me. Who did your research?” Kobe asked. A Boston Globe journalist then said, “we’re very good at squash” and then counted the number of Jewish hockey players she knew. Another reporter mentioned that the Boston Red Sox have four Jews including general manager Theo Epstein. Kobe then said (concerning the first reporter talking about the dearth of Jews in sports), “What the hell? Who was doing your research? Put the camera back on, man. This guy is false, man. This guy is lyin‘” Bryant mentioned Jon Scheyer, one of Duke University’s top basketball recruits, and said, “You’re getting shot down all over the place right here. It ain’t lookin’ good for you at all.”
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Although there are currently no Jews in the NBA, Kobe Bryant also said, “I wouldn’t mind being Jewish. I wouldn’t mind, really. I don’t know if I’m converting, but if I do, you can definitely add another athlete to the pool.”
