Like Mike? More Like Pippen
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He has won his 5th championship and now some label him as the greatest Laker of all time.
Yes, Kobe Bryant has won his way into the conversation of best hoopster of them all.
But I always wonder why Bill Russell, the man who won more titles (11 in 13 seasons) than any player, never seems to be mentioned. This isn’t about Russell though. It’s about Bryant and his place in history.
The man he wants to be compared with most is Michael Jordan. That quickly assumes Jordan is the greatest of all time. He might be, winning 6 titles with not much talent around him.
Bryant has still only been the leader of 2 championships and the 2nd banana of 3. That makes him more Scottie Pippen than Jordan.
Jordan was the Finals MVP in all 6 championship runs. Bryant just 2. And Kobe lost 2 Finals, while Jordan never lost.
But that is not what makes him different from Jordan. That came long ago, before we started counting championship rings.
The public loved Jordan, despite his flaws. Fans embraced him when he won the 1982 national championship as a freshman for North Carolina. He hit the memorable jumper that finally made Dean Smith a winner. A generation will not forget that.
Bryant told the world he was too good for college, going straight to the NBA, where his brash attitude led him to miss shot after shot in an embarrassing playoff loss against Utah.
First impressions are the most important ones.
From that moment on, the 2 were separated forever. One year out of high school, we witnessed Jordan hitting a championship shot. One year of high school, we saw Bryant fire up air balls.
Bryant never caught up after that.
The off-court issues also matter. There are some who will never forgive Bryant for being charged with sexually assaulting a woman. No matter that the case was eventually dropped, there are many who won’t forget.
The fact that he plays in Los Angeles for a team that is more about style than substance is also key. A lot of the nation doesn’t like L.A. or its teams, so that hurts Bryant too.
He is also fighting the fact that the Lakers have had stars whom had great personalities and made the most out of living in Hollywood. Kobe is no Magic Johnson when it comes to personality.
There is no question Bryant is a great player, one of the greatest of all time and his numbers will, in the end, leave him in the elite company of the game.
He just won’t be loved by the world. That’s a game he will never win.
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1 comment
now as much as every1 &their mOMMA hates Kobe, I like him.. but i ♥ Jordan. i’m not posting this to support my lessened liking of Kobe to Jordan, but good points are being made here!!
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