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“We got a couple guys that take charges, but for the most part, the one guy that took a charge is now playing in Oklahoma,” Bryant said after practice Tuesday, referring to Derek Fisher. “I don’t take charges. Metta [World Peace] don’t take charges. Steve [Blake] will take a charge every now and then, but most everybody else just stands up and plays.”
The 33-year-old veteran who is playing in his 16th season said part of the reason for his longevity is his aversion to sacrificing his body to draw offensive fouls.
“I learned from my predecessors,” Bryant said. “[Scottie] Pippen had a [messed] up back taking charges. [Larry] Bird had a [messed] up back taking charges. I said, ‘I’m not taking charges.’ I figured that … out at an early age.”
Bryant said that Pippen and Bird didn’t share their charge-taking horror stories with him to influence his decision, he merely noticed through observation. He also picked up on other legends who benefited from not taking charges.
— Reported by Dave McMenamin of ESPN Los Angeles
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