2 questions for you NBA fans out there......
#1 Has anyone's bandwagon been more volatile than Kobe's throughout his career?
#2 Has there ever been a more maligned superstar in pro sports than Mr. Bryant?
Personal answers:
Both should receive an emphatic NO!
Explanation.....
#1 I still remember Kobe's press conference when he was 18, held in his high school gym. He was sitting front and center, sunglasses on the top of his head, proclaiming his intention to go pro. This was the first press conference I can remember held in a high school gym. Now it has become commonplace and I believe Kobe started this phenomena.
Anyway, this is when Kobe's bandwagon was full of people. He became a lottery pick, got traded to the Lakers, and was considered the next MJ. Instant superstar.
Then came the all star game...where Karl Malone tried to set a pick on his defender and he waved off the future hall of famer....basically telling him, "I don't need you. I'm going one on one. I don't need anyone else to win this game." Then the air balls he shot against Utah in the playoffs and there you have it....
Many fans pulled their muscles from jumping off Kobe's bandwagon so quickly.
But then 3 champioships in a row with Kobe making clutch shots in the 4th quarter of many games....bandwagon full once again and the Kobe-MJ comparisons wouldn't go away. Kobe got married to his high school sweatheart, he was good with the media, said all the right things, and the Lakers were a dynasty.
Then Colorado happened.....an alleged rape, adultery, and ratting out Shaq. Once again....bandwagon empties. Not only that but thoughts of Kobe throwing games on purpose, shooting too much for personal glory, and the Lakers losing in 5 games in the Finals to the Detroit Pistons.
The bandwagon was never so empty....or at least that's what people thought. Little did they know that Shaq would soon be traded (supposedly Kobe's fault), and the Lakers would become (for the next 3 years)....Kobe's team. Just what he wanted, right? Except, Kobe also wants to win and win they did not. "Kobe's team" missed the playoffs in their first year and bowed out in the 1st round the next 2 years. Life was not good for those left on the bandwagon.
It got worse over the summer. Kobe went ballistic, acted like a baby, made fun of his teammates, changed his story a million times, and demanded a trade: Claiming he would never don a Laker uniform again. There might've been 5 people left on the Kobe bandwagon at this point.
Then 2008 happened and after leading "his Lakers" to the #1 seed in the Western Conference, Kobe's bandwagon is overflowing. Everyone is happy once again in LA and the past is a distant memory...proving the theory that winning cures all ills.
Which brings me to #2. Think of any superstar in any sport. Most of them can do no wrong...no matter how wrong they are or how bad they play. Jordan is a prime example. If he shot 35 times and only made 6, people would still adore him. If he cheated on his wife or got caught gambling, others made excuses for him. His bandwagon was always full and more people would pile on every year no matter what. Even when he took his "self-proclaimed" hiatus to play baseball and whiffed too many times to count, he was celebrated for challenging himself in another sport.
Throughout Kobe's career, he could never do the right thing. He either shot too many times or not enough. Shaq always got the glory and the MVPs and yet Kobe was the one with the ball in his hands in the 4th quarter while Shaq was on the bench in fear of getting fouled. When he thought Shaq should be in shape to start the season, everyone called Kobe selfish and jealous. When he cheated on his wife and tried to make amends by buying her a ring, people called him a fool. When he didn't demand that the Lakers pay Shaq the maximum, everyone said that it was Kobe that broke up the Lakers dynasty. Most said they traded the wrong superstar. Most said it was Shaq that led the Lakers to 3 titles and Kobe was just a good player along for the ride. Until this year, Kobe was never considered the best player in the NBA. Dwayne Wade got that label for the last few years and yet nobody blames Wade for not carrying the Heat to the title this year like they would've with Kobe.
My point is this. For some reason, Kobe has been maligned ever since his first press conference at his local high school gym. He appeared cocky then and because of that bravado, people have never forgiven him.
I can't think of another superstar who is always wrong even when he's right. What are some still saying even to this day? Kobe is only winning now because he has Pau Gasol. Without Gasol, Kobe is just Tracy McGrady.
I think it's about time we gave Kobe his due....because it is far overdue. I'll be the first to say it.....Kobe Bryant (at this point in his career) is as good if not better than Michael Jordan ever was and will win at least 3 more titles and 3 MVPs before he's done. Look past the bravado and see the talent. Please. There's still room on the bandwagon. :)
9 comments:
Good post Dro. Are you professing to have always stayed on the Kobe bandwagon? I seem to remember you being a Kobe/Laker hater on occasion, and me having to defend my boy to you. Maybe not though. You remain pretty objective when it comes to the NBA. I like your prediction about Kobe. I think he is a better player than Jordan, and I hope he can win the MVP's and championships to solidify his position ahead of Jordan. While I always appreciated Jordan's talent, I was never on his bandwagon...like most Laker's fans I guess. Kobe's not going to win with every team he is put on just like Michael didn't, but I think the team he is on now has the potential to allow Kobe to accomplish a lot of things. However, I fear Kobe's potential reign as Jordan's successor will be short lived. Over the next decade I anticipate Lebron James will inherit the title of the best player to ever play the game. He will collect his share of MVP's and championships. His size, power, and skill level put him in a higher echelon of player all by himself that even Kobe and Michael could not acheive. He is amazing. He could play on Team OC and take them to the NBA finals.
Cort, I have jumped off the NBA bandwagon for many years but was always quick to support Kobe, thus my post. My take was that he could never do anything right in most fans eyes. Most Laker fans even supported Shaq and wished they had kept him instead of Kobe. Obviously those Laker fans have changed their minds since then.
I always had a distaste for Jordan and thought he was the polar opposite of Kobe. He could do no wrong even though they are exactly alike. He once punched out Steve Kerr (his own teammate) in practice and was praised by the media for being a competitor. Imagine if Kobe did that to someone on his team?
I disagree about LeBron. True he is a physical speciman but in order to have a lasting career, you need to develop a consistent outside shot. He has yet to do so.
We'll see?
Kobe sucks, Dro. Not as a basketball player, but as a person. Yes, Jordan is not a good person either, but at least he didn't rape anyone (at least he hasn't been accused of it). Regardless of all that, though, Kobe just strikes me as being exponentially more arrogant than even Michael Jordan ever was. That's just my opinion, you are entitled to yours.
I don't watch basketball and I probably never will again. I don't even care who wins basketball games anymore. I don't even want to argue about who is better anymore between Kobe and MJ, because I no longer care about the sport of basketball in any way. But I hate Kobe Bryant personally, not as a basketball player, and I hope the world continues to show him the hate he deserves.
I hope this guy Blaise is joking...but I fear he is not. How can you hate someone personally that you don't know personally? All you know about the guy is what the media has told you...but the media is always honest and objective so I guess you might as well believe them. Plus...what NBA player beside's AC Green and Mark Madsen haven't "raped" a girl. I'm sure the girl wasn't after any money and I'm sure she really resisted persistently a famous, rich, good looking NBA player.
Anyway Dro. We will see about LeBron. I hope Kobe holds onto the title...but Lebron is pretty impressive. You're right about his shot though. You're right about Shaq too. I hated that Shaq always got the awards and the glory and Kobe always got the crap and the blame. I hated when Shaq won another championship in Miami to "validate" his and the media's opinion. It's interesting to see also how many people have jumped off the Laker bandwagon because of Kobe. Just because it's not Showtime anymore you have all these used-to-be die hard Laker fans betraying the purple and gold. It's shameful. I'm proud to be a Laker fan and I always will be a Laker fan...even if Tim Duncan came to play on our team.
Cort, I draw the line at Tim Duncan. I hate him (as a player) more than anyone else in the league..... except for Ginobli, Parker , finley, and Bowen that is.
Blaise, I will tell you the same thing I tell every kobe hater. You actually say you hate him but that is a cover up for how you really feel about him. You really feel that he is the best player you've ever laid eyes on and you are in awe of his abilities. However, you hate what Kobe Bryant has "allegedly" done off the court so much that you will not allow yourself to admit your true feelings about him in fear that others may judge you.
Dro, nice take Homey. I can truly say that I have been 100% loyal to kobe since his trade to LA and i've said many times before that if Kobe is traded, the lakers will become my 2nd favorite team. I will follow kobe wherever he goes........except for san antonio or boston.
Cort and dro, we should try to find some seats for the LA vs. Jazz series. Let me know if you guys are interested. Blaise, i'll buy you a #24 jersey.
Cort, Chad, actually the media never told me a single thing about Kobe that caused me to feel the way I do about him. I don't give the media the time of day. Of course the media is biased. I believe very little of what I see or read in the media. But Kobe managed to cause me to hate him all by himself. Yes, I don't know him personally, all I have is what I've observed to go by, not what I've been told. I know arrogance and comtempt for others when I see it, and I see it more strongly in him than in any person I'm aware of except maybe Hillary Clinton.
Like I said in my last post, I could care less if the Lakers win the title every year from here on in, it doesn't matter to me. I hate basketball completely. I have gone ten years without watching the league at all, and some of it has to do with Kobe. I grew up a huge Lakers fan from 1980-1998, but my own perceptions of Kobe around that time caused me to become disenfranchised with the Lakers to the point where I could no longer support them. That, coupled with the increased hip hop influence that became pervasive in the NBA and in basketball, caused me to completely lose interest in the sport over the next 5-7 years. But my feelings for Kobe haven't changed over time, the rape charges just verified what I already felt I knew about him, that he was a contemptible human being. The epitome of this feeling is best recalled by remembering him in celebration mode after his first championship. He was wearing some kind of Mardi Gras on drugs attire, acting as if he were the king of mankind. It absolutely sickened me. Anyway, I just thought I would clear up where I'm coming from.
All you Kobe lovers can get off your knees and open you eyes...Kobe will never be Jordan as a player or person (don't know him personally but at least conducted himself well in the medias eye, and maybe that was the medias doing, but why does the media hate Kobe??). Jordan had something called a heart and all Kobe has is a huge head and a pocket to fill. I'm not saying Jordan wasn't cocky, but he did it with class. Jordan had determination and a drive not settle for anything else. I see more determination and desire to win in Jack Nicholson than Kobe. I don't like Kobe, but I can see he is one of the greatest players the NBA has seen, but he is not as good as Jordan was, period............ Brigham
Dro this is Bags...you know I've never been a Kobe fan - never been "on the band wagon". BTW - I've never heard you band wagon so strongly for #24 either...anyway, Give Kobe his due? He has gotten exactly what he diserves, what he has earned. He has caused all the bad perceptions of himself as a person and player. The way a person is off the court and the off court decisions they make parallel the decisions they make on the court and the type of player they are. One indispudible indication of the type of person Kobe is is the huge lack of product endorsements he has. The best player in the league should be making millions off the court. But not Kobe. Not compared to Lebron. I still see Jordon on ads more than Kobe. People (and companies) will align themselves with good people on and off the court. Consistantly good. Companies don't want anything to do with him. The best he can do is jump over cars on U-Tube? Also, I know many others in the league do alot of "fooling around" but not to the point of alleged rape. What does he have to do to a girl so that when it's all said and done she accuses him of raping her? He's just shown very bad judgement on a regular basis. He is not even close to the winner that Jordan was who is in a whole diferent class of atheletes with the likes of Tiger, Bird & Magic just to name a few. Kobe can't be compared to winners like that.
Bags, nice to hear from you. The NBA is not high on my list so when the arguments arise amongst you and the Thompson twins, I prefer to stay neutral. Nothing really gets accomplished especially when TOD claims that Bynum will be the best center ever to play the game.
Anyway, you proved my whole point. Kobe led everyone in endorsements until Colorado. He was the media darling. He obviously made a mistake and is paying for it in more ways than one.
Jordan was sheltered by the media and David Stern. He had a gambling problem and even lost up to a million dollars one weekend in Vegas. The NBA knew it had a crisis because it couldn't afford this to get blown open ala Pete Rose so.....in his prime, MJ takes two years off for baseball but surprisingly comes blazing back???
Not only that but Jordan cheated on his wife which also got brushed under the rug. I already brought up him punching Kerr (his own teammate) in practice. Sounds like a "classy" individual.
Why do you Jordan supporters shrug your shoulders at those moments but bury Kobe for others?
Answer: You don't like Kobe as a person but you loved Jordan and therefore look past his problems but not Kobes. You let your personal bias get in the way.
I see both players/persons as flawed individuals. I only stand up for Kobe because he continues to get buried by the media and the haters.
If he wins the MVP in the regular season and in the finals, what are the haters going to say then?
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