Kobe Bryant: How He Made LA the Most Loyal City in the World

If you’re from Los Angeles, or you’ve spent enough time in LA, you know how fake the city can be. All too often people are looking for the, “Next Big Thing” and are quick to desert whatever was “Last Season.”

As much as I love the city I grew up in, this is undoubtedly true. It certainly isn’t everywhere in LA, but we have more than our fair share of “Bandwagon” fans. Unlike other cities, such as Chicago or Boston, rarely do the people of Los Angeles support a team with much vigor.

However, there is one person in Los Angeles that has the undying respect of everyone: Mr. Kobe Bryant. 

Often sports fans will joke that anytime Kobe is criticized, you can expect a massive wave of Lakers Fans coming to his defense. And what’s incredible about that claim is that it is totally true

Lakers fans are crazy about Kobe.

How did this happen though? How did Kobe go from a great basketball player to a man that millions of Lakers fans obsessively defend? 

I think the answer lies in his struggle. When the world turned its back on Mr. Bryant during his trial, and even more so when the Lakers dynasty fell apart, it became incredibly unpopular to defend Kobe. He quickly lost many of his endorsement deals, and was quickly discarded as the face of the NBA. 

In many ways, one would expect Kobe to have been run out of Los Angeles and be deserted by fans at the first sign of trouble. However, that wasn’t the case.

The Staples Center became a safe haven for Kobe, a place he could go and would be continually loved, no matter what critics were saying about him and the team. For many people in Los Angeles, it was very uncharacteristic of them to stay with Kobe, well after it was no longer “cool”

For the three seasons after Shaquille O’Neal left, the Lakers averaged 40 wins (Espn.com). And yet, their attendance didn’t skip a beat. Lakers fans stuck it out, and it eventually paid off. When the team turned it around and began to win, every Lakers fan felt as if they too were finally given redemption.

Lakers fans weren’t always deathly loyal to Kobe Bryant, but when Kobe tested their allegiance, the people of Los Angeles did something they rarely do.

They stood by their man. And they’ve continued to do so every day since.