Kobe Today

I remember the first time I saw Kobe Bryant on TV. The year was 1997. I was about seven years old, and obsessed with the art of dunking. My favorite thing about All-Star Weekend was the Dunk Contest. I remember being taken back by the acrobatic dunks by this bald, eighteen year old with a Laker jersey. It was amazing to watch. Though I was obsessed with Michael Jordan, I started keeping tabs on Kobe. There were rumors about MJ retiring. I figured that I needed to jump on some other bandwagon. Later that season, I hopped off the Kobe bandwagon. He wasn’t all I hyped him up to be in mind. He was a bench player that shot air balls in big games.

A year later, a new Kobe Bryant emerged as an integral member of the Los Angeles Lakers. He stole the show at the 1998 All Star Game. It was exciting to watch him play, and perhaps that was the birth of a star. It was almost as if the audience was watching a passing of the torch, from Michael Jordan to Kobe Bryant. The next year, after Jordan retired, I hopped back on the Kobe bandwagon and found myself rooting for him and Shaq year after year (I know, it took me a while to learn team loyalty-but I’m a Jazz fan now, so that has to count for something).

Now, here we are, about fifteen years later. Kobe has won 5 titles, 1 regular season MVP, 2 Finals MVP’s, 4 All Star Game MVP’s, and has been on the All-Defensive and All-Offensive first teams multiple times. He’s been named the greatest Laker in history by Magic Johnson. An argument can be made that Los Angeles should retire both numbers that he has worn.

Yet, he still plays as though he has something to prove.

That’s an admirable trait. Some players seem to lose their competitive edge once they reach a certain age, but not Kobe. Much like Michael Jordan, he gives his all every night on the floor. It is nice to see the effort, the drive, the will to win. The assassin attitude is something that analyst Stephen A. Smith says he has only seen in one other person, MJ himself.

However, he isn’t what he once was. Though his average of 22 PPG is still impressive by most standards, it isn’t leading the league in scoring. In fact, the last time Kobe averaged less than 24 was in the 1999-2000 season (I don’t count last season-he was out for the majority of it). And, really, how much are those points help his team? The Lakers are near the bottom of the Western Conference, with a 12-29 record that is only better than the 7-32 Timberwolves.

I understand that basketball is a team sport, and if the likes of Jeremy Lin and Nick Young picked up their game, they would be playing better. But, the thing is, if you are relying on two decent bench players to lead your team with a 36 year old former superstar, it can be hard to win, especially in a tough conference like the West.

The worst part about it all is Los Angeles had the money to get some decent money to give to lure guys like Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Love. But, they didn’t want to offer superstar money to anybody other than Kobe Bryant. They had guys like Dwight Howard and Pau Gasol, but Kobe seems to have driven them away. I know, Pau says it wasn’t Kobe, but LA didn’t bend over backwards to keep Gasol. They’ve fired coaches and traded players to keep Kobe happy.

Now, organization has imploded. There is a big question mark on when and how they will bounce back and become the dynasty they once were.

The first step is for Kobe to accept who he now is: a role player at best. Once he accepts that he is no longer the dominant 25 year old that he once was, the Lakers will begin to rebuild. That means he needs to be accepting of other stars on the team. That means he needs to accept less money so LA can offer big cash to high-profile free agents. Until that happens, Los Angeles will miss the playoffs. That is almost a guarantee.

Kobe Bryant has nothing left to prove. But, if he wants his team to win again, he needs to accept his new role. True winners do everything they can to win, and that includes being open to talent from others. Nobody wins alone. Even Michael had Scottie. Even Magic had Kareem. And, even Kobe had Shaq.

It is a very sad day for Los Angeles if he has forgotten that.