Kobe Bryant: An NBA Fan's Search For The Truth Concerning The Black Mamba

I've been an NBA fan for about 30 years. When I first watched a basketball game its star player was 1980 and the Philadelphia  76ers were putting away the Boston Celtics to advance to the NBA finals and there was a player by the name of Julius Erving. Watching Dr. J play I became an instant basketball fan. Seeing that a human being without known superpowers do the things that he could do made this 13 year old an instant fan of the sport.

Over the course of the years I've had different "favorite teams" normally following the team of my residence, it being easiest to watch the local teams on a regular basis. Beyond "my team" though, I was always foremost a fan of the  NBA. Be it Dr. J, MJ, or LBJ, I've always been amazed by the players who are able to do things that seem beyond human. It's these figures that grasp the imagination. It's the type of player in "internet-speak" that has recently been acronymized  GOAT, or Greatest Of All Time. No figure is as controversial in his company in this group  as Kobe Bryant. My article that I'm writing today is not about whether he belongs but why  there's so much controversy about whether he belongs. 

Still for those of you who have to know, I consider Kobe as probably being in the top ten of all time. I can't place him in the top five yet for the simple reason that he's not in the top 10 in any statistical category. He has five rings yes, but there are those who have more rings  and better career achievements.  I find it hard to accept that the greatest player of all time was not one of the best five at anything. It's not a knock on Kobe, it's just an acknowledgement of his place relative to the other greats.

That being said, he has time in his career to move up into the top 5 in scoring, and it's possible that at that time, he'll reside there in my mind as well. Still, my opinion of where he is is of no importance here. It's not the topic of this piece, but there will be those who are wondering where I stand on Kobe, and as a result be trying to figure out my "motive" in writing this article. I'll state that clearly. It's my search for truth in how I feel about him.  

My first introduction to the controversy came in Kobe's early years. The year was 2000 and the 21-year-old Kobe Bryant was emerging as one of the game's premier scorers, though he played for a team unquestionably led by the NBA's most dominant player, Shaquille O'Neal. A friend of mine from LA asked me who I thought was the best guard in the NBA. My immediate thoughts went to Allen Iverson, Vince Carter and Jerry Stackhouse. I said Allen Iverson (who eventually won the MVP.) The response took me aback. My friend could not believe that I hadn't said Kobe Bryant. "How can you say he's better than Kobe Bryant?" he demanded. I, unsure how to respond to such an obvious question merely replied, "because he is." It was my introduction to the Kobe fan base. 

Now I started to watch Kobe more closely after that determining to see what my friend saw in him, and I was very impressed. He was reminiscent of the recently retired Jordan in some ways, particularly in his shot creativity and his ability to create space off the dribble. I never quite saw in him the thing which made Jordan, Jordan though, and as a result never really concurred he was the "air apparent" as some dubbed him. Being perfectly open and honest, Kobe has never been Jordan in his leaping ability, and his ability to get the ball to the rim. It's literally why he's called "His "Airness." It makes calling Kobe "Air Apparent" sort of obviously wrong.

Now, having said that I think it's unfair to judge Kobe by Jordan. Kobe is not the next Jordan, and Jordan was not the next Dr. J. Jordan was the first Jordan. Kobe was the first Kobe. Each player should be judged by his own play, and what he does, not in some comparative way to other players, but in regards to his own accomplishments and play. Such comparisons can draw undue criticisms or praises. I remember through this period of his career though having a kind of feeling that I was being force fed Kobe. I was being forced to believe that he was something he wasn't. While I appreciated his play I didn't think he was Jordan, mostly because he wasn't. I don't put this as a fault of his though, but more of those who tried to compel me to accept something that just wasn't true.

Kobe's game matured, and I was thrilled to watch him play when I got the chance. His play was always spectacular though there were a few flaws in it. While he possessed an unquestionable ability to create his own shots, there were times when I felt that he forced shots when his teammates were in a position to take open shots. Understand this was in a time which predated the ubiquitous Internet sites where every message board was filled with claims of "ball hog" and "Kobe haters." It was just an independent observation, an honest analysis of an NBA fan who otherwise liked Kobe's game. 

I didn't get to see him play live until  2002. The Lakers were playing in Chicago, and I went to the game with my wife. With the game tied, Kobe took a three to win and the ball clanked off the rim. The game remained tied and went into overtime. Near the end of overtime with time running out Kobe tried again, and again he missed. The Bulls, much to my delight, won the game by 2.

I don't recall who the Lakers played, or who they beat shortly afterwards, but it was on a Kobe buzzer beater and the good folks on Around the Horn were exclaiming that Kobe was hands down the best closer since MJ. I thought it odd that they would say so seeing that not two weeks ago he'd failed to "close" against the Bulls. It was a trend I became aware of. When Kobe missed a game winning shot it went unnoticed. When he won, it was on Around the Horn and accompanied by an at-length discussion of his greatness. I wondered what the percentages were but I had no way of knowing. 

Shortly after that there were two things that happened. First was the Denver rape charge. Second was the Shaquille clash. In both cases I observed a striking anti-Kobe backlash. There were those in Internet forums and in conversations who took such delight in Kobe's misfortune that I was taken aback. I was shocked by the resentment of so many, and in the Denver case, an almost juvenile delight in his misfortune. At the same time I saw another kind of reaction in both cases that Kobe had done "nothing wrong." Cheating on your wife wrong. In the case of Shaq, he  did things wrong. He handled some things badly. He acted divisively and both players eventually forced a schism. 

Eventually 82games.com came out with a study on it and it confirmed two things I'd noticed about Kobe. First, that his game winning shot percentage was not that great, only .219. He had (at the time in 2006) made 7 shots on 32 attempts. He also had zero assists, and the most shots of anyone without any assists. I only note this because of my history in my journey in knowing who Kobe Bryant "really was."

I would point this out to certain fiends, and their response became predictable. It was either A) stats don't mean anything or B) you're a hater. I found the first illogical and the second unpalatable. I did not "hate" Kobe Bryant. I didn't even know him. But as I considered it I could see why some of his fans felt that way. Kobe had been the target of undo criticism as much as he'd been the topic of unwarranted praise. 

The subject of Kobe became a highly controversial subject, and with the rise of LeBron it became even more so. LeBron became a kind of "anti-Kobe" to FOK a kind of virtually satanic figure, a man who cared only for his numbers and nothing of winning, but to the HOK he was the savior, a man who  you could clearly and distinctly objectively prove was vastly superior player based on the numbers alone. To the FOK though there were two numbers they could raise in Kobe's defense. First there was 81! It became their mantra, and to them, Kobe could score 81 at any time, against any team. The other number was 3, then 4, and now 5.

Of course for one year there was the MVP. That only mattered until LeBron won it. After he won his second it was "MVPs don't matter, where''s your rings?" FOK quickly also became (haters of LeBron) HOL. The HOK became FOL. It was good vs. evil and depending on who you talked to one was good and the other evil. It seemed impossible to some that a mere fan of the NBA could simply be a Fan of Both. 

Through all of this I just tried to enjoy the fans of both players. I think they both have spectacular games. Kobe deserves full but not exclusive credit for all five rings. I think his rings aren't the same as MJs in the sense that Kobe has never led his team in PER during a championship season. I take nothing away from him in saying so, I merely refuse to take something away from his teammates by omitting saying so. Kobe didn't merely have help. He had tremendous help. The only player I can liken him to in that regard was Bill Russell who also did not lead his team in PER through most of his rings. However Russel was slightly different as he was a defensive beast, and his defense, not his offense was the leading  reason for the rings, and PER does not account for defense. Still, Bryant does perform amazingly well on both ends of the floor. Still, the Lakers haven't been to the last three finals if they don't have Pau. That's not a critique, it's an observation of an NBA fan. 

But this sort of brings me around to my point, and perhaps to my answer. Among all players in the NBA, including LeBron, Kobe is the most defined by how you feel about him, not what you think about him.   W ether you see a cocky grin, or a smug smirk, probably depends mostly  on your feeling about him. When you see him shake off three defenders and throw up a game winning shot attempt, regardless of whether it goes in the net or not fans see it in different ways,  either he was amazing for getting the ball off or a ball hog for not dumping the pass off to the wide open all star camped all alone under the net. So much of the conversation is first dictated by what we feel, then we find logic to support our feeling about him.

So how did we get this way? It seems a lot of things have played their role. First, there's Kobe himself. There's one thing everyone can agree on—Kobe believes in himself. Second, there was the departure of Jordan, and the overeager networks looking to find a new "Air' to the throne. They forced in the best, though not completely accurate fit. While that was not Kobe's doing, it rubbed some people the wrong way, and the blame, unfairly, was placed on Kobe. Third, there was the whole Denver thing, which understandably bothered a lot of people. At least to some  degree, that was Kobe's fault. I'm not saying he raped her, but I am saying he did something wrong. Third, there was the Sahq vs. Kobe controversy, which many fans felt like they were forced to chose between two sides they didn't agree with. As a result both players lost popularity. Then there was the whole Internet trolling thing, which like any kind of Internet trolling, only becomes more an more venomous. Finally it was all somehow embodied into the whole LeBron vs. Kobe thing. 

So how do we end it all. Simply. It doesn't have to be LeBron vs. Kobe. How about LeBron and Kobe. And, while were at it, and Dirk, and Duncan, and Howard, and Durant,  and so on. There are so many great young players right now, and so many great aging players. Why do we have to limit ourselves or our appreciation to the two best? Whether you're a FOK or a HOK, my advice is be a fan of the NBA. Enjoy them while their here, because before you know it, thirty years will pass and your opportunity too see these superpowered men do superpower things will be over. Don't let your passion for a player, be it positive or negative, blind you from your passion for the game.