Much has been said and written about Kobe Bryant, but underneath all the press, underneath all the drama – there lies a story yet to be told. You and I, the average NBA fan, and the hordes of media and league representatives with their opinions on Kobe Bryant, never truly analyze his situation with enough compassion, with enough insight. We don’t try to understand what goes on his mind, or even give him the benefit of the doubt. What we think of when we think of Kobe are the following words: Feud with O’Neal, criticized in Phil Jackson’s Book, bad teammate, the rape charge, 81 points, #24, ballhog, 40 PPG months, early playoff exits, and now… ‘crybaby asking for trades’. Let me tell you how I went from being Kobe’s biggest hater, to his biggest supporter. Perhaps, this approach can shed a light on Kobe that will at least lead you to question those predispositioned negative thoughts on the man few have attempted to understand.
Kobe the Unproven
Kobe came into the 1996 draft, arguably the best NBA draft in history, with a handful of highschool records and a large pair of sunglasses. I didn’t actually watch the Draft, but as a young kid addicted to basketball cards, one look at his rookie card with the huge grin and sunglasses immediately caught my attention. This entrance to the league came across as cocky to me, and throughout his rookie year I began to hate him more and more and the airballs he threw up against Utah in the playoffs satisfied the basketball purist in me: “Who does he think he is…” was my opinion at that time. Years passed and Kobe still wasn’t impressing me too much. Sure he had insane talent, but with MJ around there wasn’t any easily earned respect to throw around, especially for someone that hadn’t proved anything significant.
Kobe the Proven
The new millennium made it hard to be a Kobe hater. However, it was still doable and largely done. Kobe did win 3 championships, he did have some unbelievable performances, he did get called the best player ever by Shaquille O’Neal. However, The Diesel was the fuel feeding all the haters. They criticized him for arguing with Shaq, despite the fact that Kobe was the one working hard and Shaq was the one sitting out due to toe injuries and such and still getting all the praise at the end of the day. Getting a championship ring is the biggest goal in the NBA – that is unquestionable. So when a player gets 3, let alone one, you would expect people to respect the player in question – no ifs or buts. This wasn’t the case for Kobe, the haters were still loaming around and still not giving him his due. The rape charge came, haters grew even more. Then Shaq got traded and Kobe was held responsible for breaking the dynasty, which now we know isn’t even true. Then, following his disappointments in the Shaq-Less Lakers, Kobe got ridiculed by anyone and everyone in the league. Even Ray Allen, a soft overpaid superstar with no major achievements, took shots at him. The future MJ- had become - a complete JOKE.
This was the point for me. This is when I realized that – yea he’s arrogant, yea he’s not the best leader, ok perhaps he’s a bit selfish for wanting to establish a legacy – but GOD DAMN stop with all the hate! I don’t really know what really transpired, I guess its like when a couple of kids are picking on this guy at school, and at first you don’t mind joining in because you don’t really like the kid, but then the bullying turns into beatings and then you back off and go “Wow, what the hell is going on here…”. I guess you can say, I felt for the dude. So began my transformation – the 7 steps to accepting Kobe Bryant..
The 7 Steps of Accepting Kobe Bryant
Step 1: Accepting that Kobe is skillfully, the best ever
In my book, purely skill based, Kobe is ahead of Jordan. I know a lot of people will try to bury the bad memories of MJ – but he was a poor 3pt shooter, and even a worse dribbler – both areas that Kobe excels in. Kobe is more athletic, stronger, and has more stamina. Kobe and MJ are both multiple All-Defensive guys, but Kobe can actually withstand the banging of some power forwards. You look at the arsenal of moves, and you will realize that MJ relied the majority of the time on fadeaway jumpers, while Kobe gives you something new everytime down the floor. In other areas such as clutch, basketball IQ, desire to win – I think they are relatively equal.
Step 2: Accepting that the most skillful player ever, feeds off of achievements and respect
When you’re arguably the best person ever to do what you do, motivation must be hard to come by. Imagine that you’re a in a tag team wrestling team. Also imagine that all the other current wrestlers are the size of 12 year old kids except for your teammate (bear with me). You win the trophy with your partner, but he gets all the praise. At this time, you could keep staying with your current teammate who you know isn’t as good as you, or you could join another team and establish to everyone you are the best ever. What motivation would you have staying on the same team when winning a championship – the one thing that is suppose to grant you all the respect and hence give you the motivation, does not in fact give you that. People who are the best do not wish to stay good, they want to be great. Kobe won three championships but no one gave him enough respect, the rings always came with the “Because of Shaq” asterisk.
Step 3: Accepting that Kobe doesn’t have the type of players that you need to be successful
Lets be frank here, the LA Lakers, even if they had someone like Michael Jordan in Kobe’s role would not be a championship team. You got a streetball type PG who cant hit open shots, you got Kwame Brown who is good for nothing except turnovers and laziness on D, you got Lamar Odom who doesn’t fit at all into the sidekick role with his unique skillset, and you got a bench who don’t even belong in the NBDL. You add the power of the West to the equation, and you have got to wonder how anyone would expect the Lakers to be good at all.
Step 4: Accepting that Kobe, ultimately, wants to win
Recently on his website, Kobe had the following line “Winning is not something I can sacrifice when it comes to Basketball”. You can see he plays his heart out, he probably works harder than anyone in the offseason, you can see the pain written on his face when they are losing. You can see all this, or you can just choose to hate and say he is a ballhog and doesn’t care for his teammates. Kobe has done it all, scored ridiculous amounts, hit all the big shots, made all the big plays. It is obvious now, and we perhaps saw this the most last year in the playoffs, that Kobe doesn’t mind passing to his teammates, he would love to if they could just hit the shots. But then you look at the reality, you look at the percentages, and its just not smart for him not to be a ballhog. He can’t be Lebron on his team, people somehow don’t realize this. In fact, most recently in the NBA Finals we saw that an average team still does need its superstar to behave like a superstar. Nash didn’t change from when he was in Dallas, he just got a much better team. Kobe realized he wasn’t going to get championships in his current team so has asked for a trade (or LA organization to make some key changes). Selfish? Perhaps Logical? Most Definitely.
Step 5: Accepting that all the negatives we see in him, we have ignored with the other greats
Jordan and Magic commited adultery. Jordan yelled at teammates constantly. Bird was antisocial. Countless greats asked for trades or specific requirements. Kobe is a victim of his poor PR tendencies. He is not good dealing with the press, his heart and mouth get the better of his brain, and he says things he shouldn’t – the media consequently eats him alive.
Step 6: Accepting that the National Basketball Association is deteriorating into entertainment
Many people will find no problem with this. Most, hopefully, will rather it stays a sport. What does Kobe have to do with this? Everything. Kobe, the warrior who has put his heart, soul, and blood into the sport gets turned into a nationwide joke for some cheap soap opera ratings for the League, while LeBron is being turned into a God for having one good playoff game.
Step 7: Accepting that we are ruining the best thing in basketball right now
Last but definitely not least, is what we as spectators are doing to damage the game of basketball. Kobe has two types of followers outside Los Angeles: the clueless NBA newbies who have just heard of Kobe scoring 81 points, seen all his fancy dunks, and go out and buy his jersey. Then you got the deep basketball lovers; the people who view basketball players like artists and appreciate what they can do, the people who believe that being a total player and playing both sides of the floor is crucial, the people that have nothing but respect when someone breaks down crying after losing a playoff series, and the people like me who want to give respect only when a player has earned it. Kobe Bryant is one of those players today, not getting his due. He is being wasted. The media is turning him into a monumental loser, when he should be made into a legend.
Do the Right Thing
If I came up to you and told you there was this guy, and that he was the most talented player in basketball, the hardest working, and the most hungry to win….you would first think of Michael Jordan. If then I told you it had to be a current player, who would you think of? If you’re a basketball fan first, and you think it’s Kobe Bryant, then perhaps like me, you can accept his offcourt shortcomings, and appreciate what is really important. Basketball is basketball…leave the rest to those who cant appreciate the game of basketball for what it is.
Kobe the Unproven
Kobe came into the 1996 draft, arguably the best NBA draft in history, with a handful of highschool records and a large pair of sunglasses. I didn’t actually watch the Draft, but as a young kid addicted to basketball cards, one look at his rookie card with the huge grin and sunglasses immediately caught my attention. This entrance to the league came across as cocky to me, and throughout his rookie year I began to hate him more and more and the airballs he threw up against Utah in the playoffs satisfied the basketball purist in me: “Who does he think he is…” was my opinion at that time. Years passed and Kobe still wasn’t impressing me too much. Sure he had insane talent, but with MJ around there wasn’t any easily earned respect to throw around, especially for someone that hadn’t proved anything significant.
Kobe the Proven
The new millennium made it hard to be a Kobe hater. However, it was still doable and largely done. Kobe did win 3 championships, he did have some unbelievable performances, he did get called the best player ever by Shaquille O’Neal. However, The Diesel was the fuel feeding all the haters. They criticized him for arguing with Shaq, despite the fact that Kobe was the one working hard and Shaq was the one sitting out due to toe injuries and such and still getting all the praise at the end of the day. Getting a championship ring is the biggest goal in the NBA – that is unquestionable. So when a player gets 3, let alone one, you would expect people to respect the player in question – no ifs or buts. This wasn’t the case for Kobe, the haters were still loaming around and still not giving him his due. The rape charge came, haters grew even more. Then Shaq got traded and Kobe was held responsible for breaking the dynasty, which now we know isn’t even true. Then, following his disappointments in the Shaq-Less Lakers, Kobe got ridiculed by anyone and everyone in the league. Even Ray Allen, a soft overpaid superstar with no major achievements, took shots at him. The future MJ- had become - a complete JOKE.
This was the point for me. This is when I realized that – yea he’s arrogant, yea he’s not the best leader, ok perhaps he’s a bit selfish for wanting to establish a legacy – but GOD DAMN stop with all the hate! I don’t really know what really transpired, I guess its like when a couple of kids are picking on this guy at school, and at first you don’t mind joining in because you don’t really like the kid, but then the bullying turns into beatings and then you back off and go “Wow, what the hell is going on here…”. I guess you can say, I felt for the dude. So began my transformation – the 7 steps to accepting Kobe Bryant..
The 7 Steps of Accepting Kobe Bryant
Step 1: Accepting that Kobe is skillfully, the best ever
In my book, purely skill based, Kobe is ahead of Jordan. I know a lot of people will try to bury the bad memories of MJ – but he was a poor 3pt shooter, and even a worse dribbler – both areas that Kobe excels in. Kobe is more athletic, stronger, and has more stamina. Kobe and MJ are both multiple All-Defensive guys, but Kobe can actually withstand the banging of some power forwards. You look at the arsenal of moves, and you will realize that MJ relied the majority of the time on fadeaway jumpers, while Kobe gives you something new everytime down the floor. In other areas such as clutch, basketball IQ, desire to win – I think they are relatively equal.
Step 2: Accepting that the most skillful player ever, feeds off of achievements and respect
When you’re arguably the best person ever to do what you do, motivation must be hard to come by. Imagine that you’re a in a tag team wrestling team. Also imagine that all the other current wrestlers are the size of 12 year old kids except for your teammate (bear with me). You win the trophy with your partner, but he gets all the praise. At this time, you could keep staying with your current teammate who you know isn’t as good as you, or you could join another team and establish to everyone you are the best ever. What motivation would you have staying on the same team when winning a championship – the one thing that is suppose to grant you all the respect and hence give you the motivation, does not in fact give you that. People who are the best do not wish to stay good, they want to be great. Kobe won three championships but no one gave him enough respect, the rings always came with the “Because of Shaq” asterisk.
Step 3: Accepting that Kobe doesn’t have the type of players that you need to be successful
Lets be frank here, the LA Lakers, even if they had someone like Michael Jordan in Kobe’s role would not be a championship team. You got a streetball type PG who cant hit open shots, you got Kwame Brown who is good for nothing except turnovers and laziness on D, you got Lamar Odom who doesn’t fit at all into the sidekick role with his unique skillset, and you got a bench who don’t even belong in the NBDL. You add the power of the West to the equation, and you have got to wonder how anyone would expect the Lakers to be good at all.
Step 4: Accepting that Kobe, ultimately, wants to win
Recently on his website, Kobe had the following line “Winning is not something I can sacrifice when it comes to Basketball”. You can see he plays his heart out, he probably works harder than anyone in the offseason, you can see the pain written on his face when they are losing. You can see all this, or you can just choose to hate and say he is a ballhog and doesn’t care for his teammates. Kobe has done it all, scored ridiculous amounts, hit all the big shots, made all the big plays. It is obvious now, and we perhaps saw this the most last year in the playoffs, that Kobe doesn’t mind passing to his teammates, he would love to if they could just hit the shots. But then you look at the reality, you look at the percentages, and its just not smart for him not to be a ballhog. He can’t be Lebron on his team, people somehow don’t realize this. In fact, most recently in the NBA Finals we saw that an average team still does need its superstar to behave like a superstar. Nash didn’t change from when he was in Dallas, he just got a much better team. Kobe realized he wasn’t going to get championships in his current team so has asked for a trade (or LA organization to make some key changes). Selfish? Perhaps Logical? Most Definitely.
Step 5: Accepting that all the negatives we see in him, we have ignored with the other greats
Jordan and Magic commited adultery. Jordan yelled at teammates constantly. Bird was antisocial. Countless greats asked for trades or specific requirements. Kobe is a victim of his poor PR tendencies. He is not good dealing with the press, his heart and mouth get the better of his brain, and he says things he shouldn’t – the media consequently eats him alive.
Step 6: Accepting that the National Basketball Association is deteriorating into entertainment
Many people will find no problem with this. Most, hopefully, will rather it stays a sport. What does Kobe have to do with this? Everything. Kobe, the warrior who has put his heart, soul, and blood into the sport gets turned into a nationwide joke for some cheap soap opera ratings for the League, while LeBron is being turned into a God for having one good playoff game.
Step 7: Accepting that we are ruining the best thing in basketball right now
Last but definitely not least, is what we as spectators are doing to damage the game of basketball. Kobe has two types of followers outside Los Angeles: the clueless NBA newbies who have just heard of Kobe scoring 81 points, seen all his fancy dunks, and go out and buy his jersey. Then you got the deep basketball lovers; the people who view basketball players like artists and appreciate what they can do, the people who believe that being a total player and playing both sides of the floor is crucial, the people that have nothing but respect when someone breaks down crying after losing a playoff series, and the people like me who want to give respect only when a player has earned it. Kobe Bryant is one of those players today, not getting his due. He is being wasted. The media is turning him into a monumental loser, when he should be made into a legend.
Do the Right Thing
If I came up to you and told you there was this guy, and that he was the most talented player in basketball, the hardest working, and the most hungry to win….you would first think of Michael Jordan. If then I told you it had to be a current player, who would you think of? If you’re a basketball fan first, and you think it’s Kobe Bryant, then perhaps like me, you can accept his offcourt shortcomings, and appreciate what is really important. Basketball is basketball…leave the rest to those who cant appreciate the game of basketball for what it is.
4 comments:
I couldn't possibly agree with you more and I swear to God I would hug you right now if I could.
Dude, ypu are good!!!
Perhaps we could make a Slamonline readers poll to get you a column!
Really didnt think people would agree with this article. In fact, that is why I wrote it in the first place. Glad to see there's some other basketball purists other than me out there.
Ive been saying the same shit about Kobe for God knows how long. We really should be friends. As long as you like to get high and rob old ladies too. Cause Im all about peer pressure...
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