I think he cared about basketball, but he cared about it about as much I care about one of the rec leagues I'm in. Except they got paid a lot of money to do so and they were really good.

They really care about it when they're on the court/field, but in the grand scheme of things, it's behind or at the same level as getting pussy, partying, reading, philosophizing, or various other things on your priority list. While for someone like Kobe, basketball is #1-10.