Kobe Bryant: From Malcontent to MVP, How 2008 Changed What You Thought of Him

Almost overnight Kobe began to transform into the athlete the NBA’s fans wanted him to be.  For the most part, Bryant never met a shot that he didn’t like and seemed to feel he needed to score 60 points a night for L.A. to win. 

With teammates as talented as Gasol and Co., Bryant didn’t need to take a shot every time he touched the ball.   

Kobe’s new team allows him to play the game unselfishly. This style of play has helped Bryant’s image, and more importantly it’s helped his team win.  Last season it was unfathomable to think that Kobe Bryant could play an entire first half of a playoff game and be nearly scoreless at halftime. 

Not only did it happen this year, but it happened in a playoff win over the Spurs.

Lakers faithful could finally say goodbye to the days when the only pass Kobe made was on an assist opportunity. Bryant finally had someone with tremendous talent to pass off to, and for the first time in a long time he could begin to trust his teammates.

Bryant’s new perspective toward teamwork also gives him the justification to take over the game when the rest of the team is struggling offensively.  In that moment, he shows you why he’s as good as anyone on the planet at what he does. 

The signs are always there.  Kobe moves without the ball with more aggression, and he stands taller while dribbling the ball higher and with more authority.  It almost seems as though he’s attempting to set the rhythm of game through each dribble. 

His rhythm.

Then the shooting begins—and plenty of it. As in all sports, no success is guaranteed.  If Bryant manages to inject his rhythm into the game, it can pay off big. If Kobe cannot dictate the pace, it can backfire. Now that fans are exposed to it in moderation, it’s become more engaging than aggravating.

That point in the game where Bryant decides to “flip the switch," kick it in gear, and control the outcome of the game has become easier to swallow now that he’s giving his teammates every chance to win as a unit.

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