Kobe Bryant – Lisa Leslie Says His Sexual Assault Allegations Don’t Complicate His Legacy: The Media Should Be More Respectful At This Time

Kobe Bryant – Lisa Leslie Says His Sexual Assault Allegations Don’t Complicate His Legacy: The Media Should Be More Respectful At This Time

Tributes for fallen NBA legend Kobe Bryant continue to pour in more than one week after the news of his shocking death. At the same time, allegations that he sexually assaulted a 19-year-old hotel worker in 2003 have also resurfaced. The case was later dismissed, and many people say bringing it up after his shocking passing is insensitive. WNBA champion Lisa Leslie is one of those people.

In an interview with CBS This Morning‘s Gayle King, Lisa Leslie says this portion of his life story doesn’t tarnish his legacy in her eyes:

“It’s not complicated for me at all…Even if there’s a few times that we’ve been at a club at the same time, Kobe’s not the kind of guy, never been, like, ‘Lis, go get that girl,’ or ‘tell her,’ or ‘send her this.’ I have other NBA friends that are like that. Kobe, he was never like that…I never saw him being the kind of person that would do something to violate a woman or be aggressive in that way. That’s just not the person that I know…I just don’t believe that, and I’m not saying things didn’t happen. I just don’t believe that things didn’t happen with force.”

She continued:

“I think the media should be more respectful at this time…It’s like if you had questions about it, you had many years to ask him that. I don’t think it’s something that we should keep hanging over his legacy.”

Meanwhile, the alleged victim is choosing to remain quiet during this sensitive time. Her attorney, John Clune, issued this statement via Twitter:

“The events of this past Sunday are nothing but enormously tragic. And so, while we understand the interest, our client will not be speaking at this time. Thank you for also respecting her privacy.”

What do you think about Lisa Leslie’s stance on Kobe Bryant’s sexual assault case? Let us know in the comments.

Written by Miata Shanay