Kobe Bryant Injury: Ice Cube Calls Atlanta Hawks "Dirty Cheaters" after Dahntay Jones' Questionable Play against Lakers

Former N.W.A. member Ice Cube didn't mince words when asked about the Atlanta Hawks forward Dahntay Jones' questionable play against Kobe Bryant last Wednesday.

"It's kinda whack when you gotta cheat to win," Cube, who was decked out in Lakers gear, told TMZ.

Cube was referring to a play in the final minutes of the ATL-LAL game last week. It appeared Jones undercut Bryant on a fadeaway jumper, intentionally stepping into the area that Kobe needed clear to return to the court. Bryant landed on Jones’ foot, severely spraining his ankle and leaving him out of the line-up indefinitely. Ice Cube has hope, however.

"But [Kobe's] a champ, he'll come back. That ankle will be strong," he said.

The NBA has come out in support of what many Lakers fans believe saying that Jones should have been called for a foul. Defender’s responsibility on jump shots is one of the areas of emphasis for this year’s referees set forth by the league. Defenders are supposed to get out from underneath players attempting a jump shot to allow them to return to the court safely. Jones clearly did not and a foul should have been called.

"After review at the league office, video replay confirmed that referees missed a foul call on Jones as he challenged Bryant's shot and did not give him the opportunity to land cleanly back on the floor. Bryant should have been granted two free throws," the NBA posted on NBA.com/official.

Ice Cube neglected to comment on a question about the new pope, but did take a shot at the old one saying “Hopefully, he’s better than the last pope.”
When asked on the state of West Coast rap Ice Cube assured the TMZ reporter that it was “bigger than ever.”

Check out the whole interview below, courtesy of TMZ: