Kobe Bryant Is Betting on a Justin Bieber Career Implosion

Kobe Bryant knows a thing or two about being a teenage star, and the recent legal trouble for Justin Bieber hasn't gotten past the 35-year-old NBA superstar.

According to a feature by The New Yorker's Ben McGrath, Kobe believes the Biebs' career is heading in the wrong direction:

"

Kobe Bryant and a business associate have a running bet on the staying power of the pop stars Katy Perry and Justin Bieber. Bryant, who wears self-discipline like a badge, has long favored the more predictable Perry’s odds, and found in Bieber’s recent tabloid episodes hints of a looming implosion: talent spurned. As he and the associate walked into the dining room at the Four Seasons, in downtown Miami, in late January, the associate, a Belieber, mentioned that Bryant had been giving him a hard time about it for years. He seemed almost ready to concede. That morning, elsewhere in Miami, Bieber had been caught drag racing and booked for driving under the influence.

"

Francois Mori/Associated Press

Considering Bieber's recent run-ins with the law, you can hardly blame Bryant for taking that stance. 

While Kobe isn't the only one who thinks the 20-year-old pop star needs to get his act together before his career goes off the rails, he is one of the few pundits who truly understands the pressures of stardom.

[The New Yorker, h/t For The Win]