The death of Kobe Bryant last year brought out all the nice words from his colleagues and the people whose lives he had touched. But as much as the barrage of personal stories recounting the good deeds he made became viral, the not-so-ideal articles about the legendary basketball player have also resurfaced.
Oprah Winfrey recently appeared on Honda & Jenna & Friends and tearfully revealed that her good pal Gayle King has been the receiving end of hurtful words and even death threats over her interview with basketball star Lisa Leslie about malicious allegations thrown at Kobe years ago.
According to the talk show host, the broadcast journalist has been leaving her house with her security staff in tow just to make sure that she is safe.
The 66-year-old further said that Gayle felt that she was put in a bad light after CBS released a short clip of the entire interview. The interviewer, for her part, explained that it didn’t exactly justify the question-and-answer that happened, and so, it was taken out of context.
Oprah explained that she understood why everyone was upset and it was because of the clip that wasn’t enough to summarize the interview. While she believes that her friend will be ok, she revealed that Gayle hasn’t gotten a good shuteye in days.
Criticism is fine, but Oprah believes that what’s terrifying is when the tirades become too much that it is impossible to feel safe on the streets. As her friend braves this chaos, the media executive said all she can do is to show support.
The Interview
After Kobe, her daughter Gianna, and seven others met their demise because of a helicopter crash in Calabasas, California on Jan. 26, outpouring support and well-wishes for their family flooded social media. Tributes that detailed the former Los Angeles Lakers’ star’s generosity and kindness made their way to the internet, too.
In one episode of CBS This Morning, Gayle interviewed Lisa and halfway through, she asked about the sensitive matter and if, as a woman in the sport, it became complicated for her. The 47-year-old athlete shared that she has never seen Kobe act that way and the monster depicted by the allegations was simply not the person she knows.
Immediately after, Gayle got exhaustively lambasted on social media, which was why she explained that she understood where people were coming from. She pointed finger at the network for choosing an excerpt that will definitely make anyone mad from such a wide-ranging interview.
The Allegation
In 2003, a hotel employee sued Kobe because he allegedly assaulted her. The NBA star did admit that something happened between the two of them but it was consensual.
However, the victim’s bruises and the medical report proved otherwise. The case was settled outside court.
