Jimmy Kimmel has Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul, Shaq read ‘mean tweets’ (video)

Given that it is NBA Finals time, and Jimmy Kimmel wants ratings and brand synergy as much as the next guy, it only seems appropriate that he would use part of this week’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” pre-game programming as a way to integrate some basketball into the mix.

Therefore, we have a brand-new segment of “mean tweets” to share, but this time, it is featuring some of your favorite NBA stars. So who are we looking at here? Think along the lines of Chris Paul, DeAndre Jordan, Matt Barnes, and a number of other athletes who are either living in Los Angeles or play for one of their teams.

By far, the best insult on here comes directed at Boston Celtics star Rajon Rondo, where he reads a tweet about resembling the turtle Franklin from the Nick Jr. program. Also, there’s a possibly-true line about Shaq endorsing Buicks, even though it is pretty possible that he cannot fit in it.

Really, the joy about this video is that you don’t have to be a sports fanatic to enjoy people reading hateful messages about themselves from Twitter. It was funny when it was celebrities, and it’s just about as funny here. We’re mostly impressed that people want to come on here and read their own insults out loud. Who knows? Maybe it’s therapeutic in some sort of bizarre way that we may never understand.

As for the the NBA Finals, we’re not a sports site so why bother? We just enjoy watching athletes act silly as much as the next guy.

If you want to see some more Kimmel craziness, though on this occasion we’re talking about him harassing “Bachelorette” Desiree Hartsock about who she may have picked to win the show, all you have to do is click here.

Photo: ABC