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

He’s been viewed as arrogant, but entitled. Gifted, but greedy. At times he has been a leader of men. At times his immaturity got in the way.       

The “Air” apparent, some might claim. To others, all he’ll ever be is an alleged rapist.

Kobe Bean Bryant has spent the majority of his career forcing NBA fans to choose between loving or loathing the star athlete from Lower Merion High School.  Unfortunately for Bryant, over the last few seasons it became increasingly easier to pick the latter.

Since the trade of Shaquille O’Neal, each Lakers season has had a more disappointing ending than the latest Indiana Jones movie. Without a quality supporting cast, Bryant’s frustration grew until he publicly demanded to be traded from the team. 

While some of his points were valid, Bryant’s image was tarnished. Kobe became the co-worker next to you that always complains about how he’s doing everything and everyone else is slacking off.  The guy that is sure that no one else works as hard or does as much as he does.

Annoying. 

Self-centered. 

Irritating.

And then there’s Colorado...

The sexual assault case against Bryant concluded in September of 2004 when the accuser dropped the charges. In today’s three-second-memory-span culture, 2004 was a long time ago.  The world has mostly forgotten, and with the Lakers winning again, no one is in any hurry to remember. 

Unfortunately, it seems more common than not to hear of sports figures in trouble with the law. As long as an athlete admits some guilt, the sports world is more than willing to forgive and forget.

Then came the trade for Pau Gasol.

NBA fans no longer had to endure Bryant’s tantrums, thus allowing them exposure to the more appealing sides of Kobe’s personality. 

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.

It seems as though Kobe’s finally learned that in the course of a game, the difference in the perception of a hero and a glory hound is the willingness to self-sacrifice.

In the past, Kobe would “flip the switch” while walking out to do pre-game warm-ups. This season it seems as though Bryant has developed the patience to wait until the team truly needs him.

Fans no longer have to stomach nightly reruns of the same-old Kobe Show.  Now when he comes to the forefront late in a game, Kobe’s push feels more like the grand finale action sequence in a big budget movie. 

Timing is everything.

For example, in Game 1 versus the Spurs, Bryant scored 25 of his 27 points in the second half. Before taking matters into his own hands, he allowed the Lakers to carry the burden of scoring for over 24 minutes, thus showing a level of maturity that Kobe had yet to display.

The San Antonio Spurs also played a part in the Kobe Bryant turn-around.  Nothing unites two opposing sides, such as Kobe and the fans, like a common enemy. Very few people outside of those on the San Antonio River Walk or those with the last name Longoria-Parker were rooting for the Spurs to go on to the finals.

The Spurs showed that playoff success can be achieved even without a traditional NBA superstar. They have also shown us that watching it is about as riveting as a National Spelling Bee.

The NBA’s lifeline is its superstars. From Russell and Wilt to Kareem and Dr. J to Bird and Magic to Michael and finally now Kobe—when they’re good, the league’s good. Ratings have proven that when teams like the Spurs play in the finals, you’re not watching. Fans want marquee names playing in marquee games. 

After several years without, the NBA Finals have that once again.

Kobe’s success with the Lakers allows a 46-year-old fan in Oregon the chance to relive the great NBA finals between Boston and L.A. The 15-year-old kid from South Carolina gets the chance to see a clash of two great teams led by the biggest stars in the game. 

The NBA is as much a show as it is a sport, and fans have always loved its dominant players. It’s easy to forget all the reasons you had for not liking Kobe when he reminds you of how unique he is. It is likely that Bryant is the closest player to Jordan that this generation of NBA fans will get to witness. 

With age and maturity comes a sense of self-awareness. Kobe hasn’t had to force his will each night out, and this has given him the opportunity to settle in and find his true game. While his style of play has always been remarkably close to that of Jordan’s, Kobe’s new approach seems to compliment Michael more than just mimic him. 

Without the attitude, the controversy, the “me before we” mentality, or any of the other baggage that used to come with Kobe Bean Bryant, the sport still has one of the most talented athletes it’s ever had, and finally it can enjoy every minute it has left with him.