Snoop Dogg Admits Wanting to Protect Vanessa Bryant and Kids For Love of Kobe When He Slammed Gayle King

Snoop Dogg has opened up about a recent public feud that he had with TV personality Gayle King over what he believed was disrespect towards late NBA superstar Kobe Bryant and his family.

Earlier this week, the rap artist and businessman appeared on an episode of "Red Table Talk," the Facebook Watch web series anchored by Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield-Norris.

In a snippet of the video, he spoke about how the feud affected him, and his method of addressing it, which he believed was in a bid to protect Kobe's wife, Vanessa Bryant, and their three living children – Bianka, Natalia, and Capri.

The entire feud stemmed from an interview King had conducted with Lisa Leslie, a pro basketball player, and friend of the deceased Kobe. In the interview, King asked Leslie about the sexual assault allegations that Kobe had faced while he was alive.

However, the conversation didn't sit well with many friends and fans of Kobe, especially given that it was less than a month after the NBA legend had passed.

King eventually accepted his apology, explaining that she understood the emotion behind his criticism, especially in the wake of such a devastating loss.

Not one to shy away from his feelings, Snoop took to Instagram to share his disdain for what King called a "wide-ranging interview." In a now-deleted post, he said,

"How dare you try to tarnish my [expletive] homeboy's reputation, punk. Respect the family and back off, [expletive], before we come get you."

Snoop eventually apologized to King, explaining that "two wrongs don't make a right," and that he was never looking to offend her. As he said, his only intention was to stand up for a man who was no longer here to defend himself.

King eventually accepted his apology, explaining that she understood the emotion behind his criticism, especially in the wake of such a devastating loss.

"As a journalist, it is sometimes challenging to balance doing my job with the emotions and feelings during difficult times," she said at the time.

Kobe's memorial service took place this past Monday at the Staples Center, with celebrities, friends, and fans gathering to pay their final respects to a man who brought the world to its feet with his skill and grace on the basketball court.