Appreciating Kobe Bryant
Soon, Kobe Bryant will be a memory. In the basketball sense, Bryant will be a legend forever looming over the game, but there will be no new editions. Instead, there will be nothing but the remnants of a great career to parse and compare throughout the rest of time.
In this day and age of unrelenting snark and not being able to wait for tomorrow, we are watching the final act of Bryant. It’s a sad one. He’s on the worst team in basketball this side of the Philadelphia 76ers. He is more recognized for his cumbersome contract and eroding skills than the amazing player he once was, and will always be in our mind’s eye.
Since being drafted in 1996 with the 13th-overall pick and then subsequently getting dealt to the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant has been one of the true superstars in the sports lexicon. Bryant has racked up five NBA titles, stayed with one team his entire career, and created a legacy as one of the purest shooters to ever play, while being suffocating on defense. His final line will read that he is an 18-time NBA All-Star, an 11-time First-Team All-Pro, a two-time Finals MVP, a one-time Most Valuable Player, and a nine-time First-Team All-Defense.
Most importantly, he was the next in a long line of NBA stars. More than any other major sport in America, the NBA is defined by its stars. The National Football League is always talked about in terms of dynasties, while Major League Baseball is about Americana and the way it is played. The National Hockey League is perhaps more team-oriented than any of them.
Basketball demands that we talk about the stars first and everything else second. It is never about whether the 1990s Chicago Bulls could take down the 1960s Boston Celtics. It’s whether Michael Jordan or LeBron James would win in a game of one-on-one. It’s about the individual, and that’s something that helps Bryant.
To this point in his career, Bryant has posted 15 seasons of averaging 20 or more points per game, including a stretch of 14 consecutive campaigns. He has shot 83.6 percent from the line and scored 81 points in a game once against the Toronto Raptors at Staples Center. He has been called brilliant and baffling, selfish and sensational. In the end, he’s a champion many times over who should be celebrated on his way out the door.
Bryant has acknowledged that this is his last NBA. At 37 years old and with the mileage of a 1993 Toyota Carolla, it’s time. He has give us all he has, and the curtain is ready to come down.
In these final few months, forget the shooting percentage or the selfishness. Forgive the losses.
Enjoy and remember the greatness.
