| 08 May 2009
Game 2 of the Lakers-Rockets Western Conference semi-final match up and subsequent Facebook statuses made me realize that I love Kobe Bryant immensely. He's one of the few superstars in any sport that I'll probably defend at no end. No, he isn't my favorite basketball player; and yes, I do probably feel this way because I'm a Lakers fan, but the arguments against him have been ridiculous to say the least. I've always been fascinated with the way fans of teams with a great player loathe other great players. Fans of Troy Aikman hated Steve Young, Randy Moss fans hate Terrell Owens, Larry Bird fans hated Magic, Raphael Nadal fans hate Roger Federer and everyone hated Barry Bonds and so on. However, the post-Jordan NBA has been completely different since Jordan was an enigma in the sense that everyone, regardless of team affiliation, loved him. That kind of love in any professional sport seems to be the anti-thesis of what fandom is supposed to be, which is why Kobe and Lakers fans get so much hell from fans from the other 29 teams.
Kobe was the first truly great basketball player after Mike, and the basketball world wasn't quite ready for a kid with some of the same abilities but half of the personality. We want the next Michael Jordan to be exactly like the old one, and everything the new one did that wasn't like the old one was to be scrutinized at no end. Now, a player isn't a leader if he can't get his teammates involved the way Jordan did, he's not one to admire if he speaks out against the organization that employs him, he's not likeable if he isn't the perfect teammate - if he's not Michael Jordan, we shouldn't like him is what it's boiled down to.
"They can't guard me," is what he yelled constantly throughout Game 2. And that's the arrogance that you, the non-Lakers fan cannot stand.
I don't know when people started caring about the character of the basketball player off of the court. Who cares if he cheated on his wife, who cares if he threw Shaq under the bus, who cares if he doesn't genuinely care about his teammates, who cares if he may be one of the most arrogant SOBs to ever lace up a pair? Why do these things matter to you? You don't have to play with him, you don't hang out with him on the weekends, get over it. He's the best basketball player we've had since Jordan's final exit, and you've constantly made up things that weren't true about him since his rookie season.
What do you mean he isn't a leader? He's one of the best in the league. No one knows how to get into an opposing team's - not opposing players - but opposing team's collective heads.
"They can't guard me," is what he yelled at fans in Game 2.
"They can't guard me," is what he yelled at Rick Aldamen.
"They can't guard me," is what he yelled at Phil Jackson and the rest of the Lakers bench, and if you're a basketball fan, you had to love watching that exhibition of bravado and shot-making.
He leads in different ways than what Jordan did. How could you nit pick at his performances in Games 1 and 2. Sure, he had an off night during Game 1, but what else was he supposed to do. Every other Laker has been struggling from the field lately. "He still took more than 25 shots last night," is what Greg said in a comment on a Facebook status last night after the game. Didn't he have to? The Lakers were constantly missing wide-open shots or passing up wide-open ones because their confidence was shot. What does he do? He lights a fire under himself knowing Kobe vs. five is good enough to win that game and the rest of the team finally gets on his page at the end of the third. And I can't count on my fingers and toes how many times he's done that throughout the course of his career.
"They can't guard me," is what he was yelling at all of the pundits and haters. Everyone who comments on his materialized camaraderie with his teammates. Everyone who can't stand the fact that, sometimes, he'll take 30 shots in a game. Everyone who can't get over the fact that the man led the league in field-goal attempts three times but never averaged more than six assist per game. Everyone who still talks about him running Shaq out of Los Angeles - something that isn't even entirely true (better go ask Jerry Bus about that). Everyone who posted Facebook statuses like my friend Marcus who said he "doesn't understand why Laker fans chant M-V-P for a guy that was acting like a 12-year-old brat and demanding to be traded less than 2 years ago."
When are we going to get over the fact that not everyone is a happy-go-lucky type of guy? When are we going to realize that there are some guys who are just stone-cold killers who are all about business? I understand people are going to love Lebron James just for the simple fact that he is a goofball and gets along with his teammates. That's fun and all, but I'd rather care about Kobe, or Lebron, for their on-court production, not for their off-the-court antics. If Kobe would rather chill in his hotel room and watch film instead of going out with his teammates, we should be admiring that dedication to the job he's supposed to be doing instead of chastising him for not being personable. That's not in the job description of the league's best player.
I know all of these words are going to fall on def ears (or blind eyes, I guess) because he was the first "next-Jordan," and that was bound to go badly for whoever it was in the same way that it doesn't go well for guys who bring home a new girlfriend that is similar to the his ex that all of his friends and parents loved because of her fun nature. She has some of the same traits, but she's less personable and is more concerned with her job than having fun with the friends and family. It's unfortunate that Bryant's lack of a natural warmth toward everyone outside of the average Lakers fan is going to determine his legacy instead of games where he's yelling, "They can't guard me," while leading his team to wins.
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