Kobe Bryant responds to Mark Cuban’s amnesty suggestion in epic fashion

A couple of days ago, Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suggested in a radio interview that maybe it was time for the Lakers to consider amnestying Kobe Bryant, given the team’s current position out of the playoff picture and the astronomical payroll and luxury tax bill the franchise would be looking at next season.

Cuban has clarified a couple of times since then that he was speaking hypothetically of course, but make no mistake — his comments were meant to tweak the Lakers, and it worked on multiple levels.

The Lakers issued a statement through their team spokesman in response to Cuban’s comments, which means that Cuban’s mission was accomplished — at least in terms of his remarks reaching people in the organization who matter, and annoying them in the process.

Where this all backfired, however, was Sunday afternoon at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.

Bryant put in a vintage performance, scoring 38 points including 14 in the fourth quarter to send Cuban’s Mavericks home with a loss. After it was all over, Bryant took to Twitter to eviscerate Cuban with two simple words.

Amnesty THAT

— Kobe Bryant (@kobebryant) February 24, 2013

Bryant has always been criticized on the court for his lack of efficiency, but it’s hard to argue that he did anything other than use this medium to perfection in delivering an epic response.