The Hunger: Kobe Bryant Plans to Bring the Los Angeles Lakers Another Title

You’ve won a title. Now you’ve defended it. What motivation can you have to contend for a third ring?

“I don’t really need any outside motivation to get me going. I’m just wired that way. I’m here. I’m here to win, I’m here to focus and do my job. That’s what I’m going to do.”—Kobe Bryant

Since the alleged rape case in Colorado, Bryant has had a way of dealing with the media. He’s not the crowd pleaser like LeBron. You can tell he hates going to those damn meetings.

Suddenly his legs feel heavy as he drags himself to that press conference. His lips feel lethargic, and his words embody brevity. It’s a waste of his time. He’d rather spend that extra hour practicing his shots, or conditioning that knee.

In the craziness of all that’s been going on this summer, Bryant had nothing to say about the superpower in Miami, Shaq going to Boston or even to being ranked as the second best shooting guard after Wade. Frankly, his pep talk about not needing motivation doesn’t really say much about what he really feels inside.

When Boston made it to the Finals this past season, I know Bryant was reflecting on the 39-point loss in 2008. But he’ll never admit it. He’ll just tell you that all that matters is the championship.

So, while the bromantic threesome is flaunting their strut down in Miami, the green-eyed Shaq spying his fifth ring to spite Bryant, and haters ready to throw the guillotine at Kobe’s every mistake, are we to believe that his only motivation is that he’s just wired “that way”?

Excuse my French, but that’s bullshit.

When Shaq got his fourth ring with Wade, Kobe’s jealousy was brimming over the top. But he won’t ever bring it up until he’s surpassed Shaq. And I quote Bryant: “I don’t forget anything.” He uttered those words, flashing his five fingers to the camera to show that he had one more than Shaq. Now, tell me that his only motivation to win was for the sake of winning. Please.

This is a man who stubbornly refuses to perform surgery on his broken arthritic finger because it takes too long to heal. His shooting finger.

“I’d miss a huge chunk of the season and it’s just not worth it to do that with a injury that I’ve played with and won a championship with. It just didn’t make sense…You would have to in essence break it again and put it back together.”

Is it a bold move? Or is it unimaginably imbecilic? Either way, he’s motivated. He wants to win.

What’s motivating him? Is it all the Kobe-Jordan comparisons as he approaches his sixth championship? Is it all the critics who claim he is on a downhill slide now that he’s logged over 34,000 minutes? Or could it even be that he’s about to surpass John Havlicek, Dominique Wilkins, Oscar Robertson, Hakeem Olajuwon, Elvin Hayes and Moses Malone to claim the No. 6 spot on the all-time scoring list this season?

It could be none of those, or all of the reasons above. Who knows? He never wants to talk about it. But he’s definitely hungry.

“It’s a brand new season, a brand new start. The hunger will be there.”