Will the Championships outweigh the issues for Kobe Bryant? |
During last night's Sixers/Lakers game, Kobe Bryant surpassed Shaq as the all-time greatest scorer in Lakers history. It's undoubtedly true, that Kobe Bryant is among the top 50 players of all-time, maybe even in the top 25, top 10 or top 5. But Bryant's off the court scandals including a rape case and a ugly divorce, combined with his issues with Shaq and ball hog title have tarnished his legacy, or have they?
5 NBA Titles
7 Western Conference Finals
2 Finals MVPs
2008 MVP
9 Time NBA First Teamer
9 Time NBA First Team Defense
Kobe Bryant's trophy case has overflowed and his stat sheet is longer than Minute Bol. His 81 point game is widely considered as the greatest scoring game of all-time, greater than Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points because Kobe was shooting jumpers instead of simply laying it up over much smaller opponents like Chamberlain was. Like Jordan, Kobe won several titles with basically two different Laker squads. The ones in the early 2000s with Shaq, Horace Grant and Rick Fox, and then again in the late 2000s with Pao Gasol and Lamar Odom. Some say that he played sidekick to Shaq in his first three titles, but no one can doubt his leadership role in his last two. Kobe, probably like no other player we've ever seen, can shoot from anywhere on the court in any situation and make it. He might as well have thrown a patent on his fadeaway. That same fadeaway needs to have some consideration as the most unstoppable move in NBA history, up there with Kareem's hook shot and Iverson's crossover. Even today, at age 33, there are times when Kobe makes those types of shots that make you say "Well that's Kobe for you." These are the kind of shots that make the Kobe-hater scream and the Kobe-lover say, "Yup." I'm in the camp that says Kobe Bryant is among the top 5 greatest players of all-time, and that he'll sure up his legacy even more in the coming decades. I never believed that his off-court issues derailed his career in anyway like they did for Allen Iverson. But each individual has their hardhat opinion about Kobe Bryant, and it doesn't always include his handful of rings or boatload of baskets.
Throughout Kobe's career he has been under nothing but scrutiny. In the early 2000s it was his beef with Shaq. In the mid 2000s it was his inability to lead, headlined by his sticky fingers on the ball; Kobe just wouldn't pass it. By the second go around of back-to-back titles, Kobe had finally assumed the leadership role, but even then analysts doubted him. Doubted his attitude, toiled over his selfishness. All of these on the court issues were heightened by his alleged rape case in 2003, which almost destroyed his marriage and his career. Most recently Kobe had to agree to a divorce settlement with his ex-wife Vanessa that was worth around 75 million dollars. To put it simply, Kobe's life hasn't been easy. Most would say it's all his fault, but is that really true?
Kobe's attitude has never wavered. He has always wanted to win. He probably wanted to win more than any NBA player, except Jordan. But the way Kobe externalized his win-at-all-costs attitude often turned people off. For the middle of the 2000s decade it was Kobe vs. Lebron. If you liked Kobe, then you were a selfish and angry person. If you preferred Lebron, you were a good guy who cared about what people thought about you. It didn't matter though, by Kobe's second title in 2009 no one could deny that Kobe Bryant was the best player in the league. And while Bryant's talents have declined slightly, his comparison to Jordan could be absolutely appropriate if he can sneak out one more title. None of that will matter though if the general public continues to remember Kobe's issues instead of his accomplishments.
So what will be Kobe's legacy when he retires in 5, 6, 7 years? Maybe another title or two will sow it up. Or maybe 5 more years of playoff disappointment will bring us back to the dark years when he played for the Los Angeles Kobe Bryant's. Will his sidekick status in 1999, 2000 and 2001 keep him from ever being Jordan, or even close? How about "Kobe's a rapist?" Will that always be his monicker? Or will his mind-numbing statistics and overwhelming trophy collection force us to give him his due. I'll tell you what, no one will deny his stats and titles, but they still might deny his legacy.
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