After a mini hiatus, I have decided to return to Zmoney sports. As a working man, I dont know how much time I'll have to write, but for now, I hope you enjoy.
So as I was waiting to pickup U.S Congressman Ellsworth from DFW airport, I started to think about the finals and how excited I was, which in turn led me to think about Kobe and his career, so I decided to write this little piece while waiting in my car.
Kobe Bryant is not only the greatest player of our generation, but the argument can be made that he is the greatest player the NBA has ever seen. From his days as a high school phenom, to ruling the NBA, Kobe has transcended himself into a talent that we have only seen once before, and to quote Reggie Miller, “That guy is retired doing Hanes commercials, bad ones I might add. “ Lets face it, Kobe is an enigma, maybe the biggest one in all of sports. You either love him, or you hate him, but to the haters I pose these questions: How can you hate someone who pours his heart into the game? How can you hate someone who is working ever minute of the day to better himself as a basketball player? How can you hate someone who is the ultimate champion? Has there been another player with as much drive and dedication as Kobe has to winning? The answer is No, and to the people who hate him, put your personal team loyalty aside and recognize a once in a lifetime talent when you see one.
As Kobe prepares to try and win his 5th title and add to his legacy of being the greatest champion of our generation, lets put aside the lingering debates of Kobe v. Lebron, and more importantly Kobe v. Jordan, and reflect on just how great of a player Kobe really is.
Early on in his career, he wowed us with freakish athleticism, rim rocking dunks, and the type of swagger no 17 year old kid should have. From the minute he stepped on the court, everyone could see flashes of what was to come, the player that was to be, and a blast from the past (#23.) It took him 4 years to win his first championship, and while Shaq was the dominant player on that team, Kobe averaged 21 ppg, while averaging 39 minuts per game during the playoffs. He played a bigger role than most people remember/give him credit for. Throughout the rest of the 3 peat run, during the regular season he averaged 28.5, and 25.2 ppg respectively. In the playoffs he stepped up his game and averaged 29.4 and 26.6 ppg respectively. I’m not here to get into the “Kobe didn’t win titles, Shaq did”, argument, I will save that for another article, but the point I am trying to make is to show just how big of a part Kobe played, as a 20 something year old, playing for a title. He was cemented as a bonafide star on that team.
In the subsequent years, Kobe spoiled those who watched him, with his flawless offensive game, hitting fadeaway jumpers with 3 defenders in his face, pulling up 8 feet behind the three point line and drilling 12 threes in a game, or getting to the hole and posterizing Dwight Howard for dunk of the year. Of course everyone remembers the 81 point game, but what people do not remember is that LA was actually down in that game, and down big. They came from behind, led by Kobe who in my opinion, played like the best ever that night, hitting shots he had no business making. How about his 4 game, 50+ point stretch, in consecutive games? That’s right, he had 50 plus points in 4 straight games. In today’s NBA we see guys dropping 50, and the next night they can only muster 13. So what does that say about Kobe? How about that night in Dallas, where he went off for 63, in only 3 quarters, against a very solid Mavs team. All of these moments can culminate into one bullet point, one statement that I don’t think is even debatable: Kobe Bryant is the most talented offensive player this league has ever seen. That’s that.
Again, I am not here to get into the argument of Kobe and Jordan, rather I am here to point out specific qualities, specific moments that make Kobe the player he is today. Kobe has no weakness in his game. He puts in countless hours of hard work, and film study and this is what makes him the mamba. It has guys like Tex Winter (architect of the triangle, and coach to both Kobe and Mike) saying he has never seen a player with more dedication and a better work ethic than Kobe. It has guys like Magic and The Logo saying that Kobe is far and away the best Laker to ever play, and just last night Magic said that if he wins his 5th ring, “I think he’ there as the greatest to ever play.” I could give countless more quotes, and in return, find a hundred quotes about Jordan, but I wont go that route.
During these playoffs, Kobe is playing on a level that all players dream about reaching, but know they will never get there. He is doing it with such regularity and leaving people speechless. “Only one way to describe it, greatness.” Guys like Charles Barkley are even left shaking their heads, with no more than one word to describe what they just saw. If a hall of famer cant fully grasp the talent and perfection of the game that Kobe is displaying, what does that mean for the rest of us? As we watch the finals, keep an open mind and just watch Kobe play the game. Watch him score at will, watch him set up his teammates, watch him on the defensive end. He is displaying a mastery of the craft that we all love. The playoffs are his browadway stage, and thus far, he is putting on the performance of a lifetime. We all watch in awe as he does what he has been doing his whole career. I personally get Goosebumps when watching him play. In a few years from now, can we even imagine what he will do for an Encore? Until then, watch in amazement,, as we are seeing something unfold that we may never get a chance to see again., perfection.
Z$
