Kobe Bryant on Mike Brown's firing: "No matter how many years I've been playing, it's still hard to deal with."

It's a common belief that Kobe Bryant and Mike Brown were often at odds during Brown's time with the Lakers. Bryant's "death stare," directed at Brown, went viral online. But Bryant denied the animosity, saying, "I've been his biggest supporter."

After Brown's 1-4 start with the team, the Lakers decided to fire the manager. The day of Brown's termination, Bryant took to his Facebook page to express his thoughts on the decision:

"Tough day. I've seen coaches as well as friends come and go. No matter how many years I've been playing, it's still hard to deal with. I had a good relationship with Mike and I will continue to have one. I wish him and his family nothing but the best. I spoke with him today and thanked him for all of his hard work and sacrifice.

"As a team, we must focus our energy on tonight's game. We must block out the weight of today's news and simply do our jobs to the best of our ability. I'm not sure what direction we are heading in next. All I can do is focus on the here and now.

"Mamba out"

Bryant wasn't the only star to speak out about the news. Magic Johnson made his opinion known, tweeting that he felt bad for Brown.

[tweet https://twitter.com/MagicJohnson/status/266975174690209794]

And no news is complete without an opinion from Shaq, who gave his brief two cents on Twitter, too.

[tweet https://twitter.com/SHAQ/status/266970554110726144]