Gayle King Responds To Criticism For ‘Kobe-Bashing’ During Lisa Leslie Interview

Gayle King came under fire during an interview she held with WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, a good friend of Kobe Bryant and daughter Gigi, who tragically died in a helicopter accident last week along with seven other victims.

The interview was a discussion mainly about Kobe and his legacy from a person who knew him well.

When Gayle asked about Kobe’s rape case back in the day, Lisa Leslie didn’t seem to be pleased, but handled it with class, saying at this point everyone should “leave it alone.”

King also infuriated social media, who dragged her for 24-hours and criticized her and accused her of trying to tear a “Black man down.” Being that she’s best friends with Oprah Winfrey, who has recently been criticized for her past relationship with Hollywood sex predator Harvey Weinstein and her involvement with a documentary on sexual allegations against Def Jam icon Russell Simmons, the smoke directed at Gayle was widespread and plentiful.

In response, King has put up a video, explaining her side of the story. She says her intentions were never to smear Kobe’s name in his death.

Back to top