TMZ – Former LA Lakers point guard Smush Parker is calling out Kobe Bryant for being a diva who treated his teammates like crap — and it comes just hours after Kobe blamed Parker for costing him a huge trophy 7 years ago. Parker played with Kobe during the 2005-06 season, and tells TMZ the Lakers great is only lashing out because he once dared to say Kobe was “overrated” as a teammate. Parker’s never explained what he meant by that, but now tells us … Kobe “told me out of his own mouth that I couldn’t talk to him. That my accolades under my belt weren’t deserving enough for me to talk to him.” He also says Kobe didn’t talk to most of his teammates. Parker says he’s opening up about Kobe’s diss because Kobe told reporters earlier today … he lost the ’05-’06 NBA MVP trophy to Steve Nash because he was surrounded with no-talent players that season. Kobe said, “I tell Steve, you won MVP, but I was playing with Smush Parker.” Kobe piled on more, saying … “He shouldn’t have been in the NBA but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. So we let him walk on.

This is the split in the road. If you hate Kobe Bryant for being a self-righteous, pompous, cocky dictator whose right hand is stuck on auto-shoot, then this is all the more reason to continue hating him. If you love Kobe Bryant for being a self-confident, tenacious, honest leader who doesn’t take shit from out-of-the-league scrubs, then this is all the more reason to continue loving him. This is the litmus test.

If you know me you know I’m a Kobe fan. Hearing that he literally told Smush to his face to not talk to him is one of the most hilariously gangster basketball moments I can imagine. And don’t feel bad — it’s hard to even fathom all the stress Jellybean Jr. was under at that time. Having to lead a team with Smush Parker, Luke Walton, Lamar Odom, and Kwame Brown to the playoffs? That should’ve been worth two MVPs.

In conclusion: shut up, Smush. Seriously, shut up and don’t look at me in the eyes.