Whack Mamba: A Blazer Fan's Take On Kobe Bryant and His Outstanding NBA Career
For Blazer fans, there’s something about Kobe Bryant that just irks you.
As a life-long Portlander and diehard Blazer fan, he is on top of my most disliked athlete list and a "public enemy" to the city.
There is no doubting his talent; Kobe is one of the best players of our generation, if not all time. He is an unparalleled NBA talent in the league today in terms of killer instinct—and his ability to carry a team on his shoulders at the end of a game during "Mamba Mode."
However, his bravado and the way he carries himself is a completely different story. For the numerous reasons listed below, it just rubs me the wrong way. Think of this article as a light-hearted commentary (with a few soft jabs) on his career, that hopefully both Laker and Blazer fans can enjoy.
On Court
Coming out of Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, Kobe was by far the number one prep player in the nation. He played literally every position on the floor for his team on the way to the state title as a senior—averaging 30 points, 12 rebounds, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 4 blocks along the way. Bryant was a special talent on the prep level, and then the Lakers' GM, Jerry West, took notice.
When Kobe was part of the heralded 1996 NBA Draft, alongside numerous NBA big names, he was a story anyone could root for. Young kid who is the son of a former NBA player, grew up in Italy, speaks the language, and plays hard. He was (and still is) a gym rat who took notes on past NBA greats and was committed to winning at a young age.
There were even stories that he beat the Philadelphia 76ers' 1995 top pick Jerry Stackhouse in a game of one-on-one when he was still in high school.
Upon entering the draft, he was taken by the Charlotte Hornets at 13th overall, and traded to the Lakers for Vlade Divac shortly after. He entered the league and was a promising bench warmer for the first couple seasons.
Bryant was more renowned for being an exciting player who could throw down gracefully than for his actual game. Winning the 1997 NBA Dunk Contest may have been to thank for that. I remember watching him in the early years; that he could dunk like no one's business and would put up some errant shots that would make even J.R. Smith cringe.
After the learning curve was over and he'd developed a greater chemistry with Shaquille O’Neal, people began to see Kobe’s true potential.
He emerged as one of the league’s great scoring guards around his third season with the team. Kobe was a force to be reckoned with because of his ability to beat defenders at will and get to the basket. His jumper from midrange was smooth, and while his three-point accuracy was a work in progress, it was serviceable.
This is where things start to get painful for me.
The 2000 Portland Trailblazers were a talented crew who looked destined to win the NBA title. With Scottie Pippen, Rasheed Wallace, Damon Stoudamire, Arvydas Sabonis, Steve Smith, and Brian Grant, how could we lose? This seemed apparent when they were up by 15 heading into the fourth quarter of Game seven against the Lakers in the 2000 Western Conference Finals.
Then things fell apart for the team.
Every time I see this, I shudder to think how things could have been. The Lakers showed persistence down the stretch versus Portland, and later went on to scrap the Pacers in the 2000 NBA Finals, with little doubt that the Blazers would have done the same for the title.
This helped spark the three-peat for the Lakers, eventually taking down the 76ers in 2001 and the Nets in 2002 to win three championships in a row.
Following that historic run, Kobe set the NBA record for most three-pointers in a game in 2003 against the Sonics. It's an honor that he now shares with, of all people, Donyell Marshall.
Marshall’s record was set in 2005, but Kobe would have his revenge on the Raptors the next season for having one of their players tie his mark. On January 22, 2006, Kobe dropped 81 on the Raptors; the 2nd highest point total in a single game in NBA history. It is second only to Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point performance back in 1962.
A couple of seasons later, the Lakers ended up back in the Finals against the Detroit Pistons. LA was the heavy favorite, having acquired future Hall of Famers Gary Payton and Karl Malone earlier that season. However, the Pistons had a different agenda: taking down the Lakers in a five game series for the NBA title.
My favorite memory from that series is of Ben Wallace knocking down open jumpers and hitting his free throws in Game one, an ironic tone setter for the series ahead. Wallace was an all-time NBA worst free throw shooter, averaging 41.7 percent from the stripe—in case you were wondering.
Everyone was stunned by the Lakers' loss and it ultimately dissolved the team, losing Shaq and many other talented players as a result.
The next few seasons for Kobe were disorienting, and ultimately basketball purgatory for his career.
He ‘dissed’ Andrew Bynum in a fan shot video, and was even demanding trades to get out of Los Angeles. However, Kobe again found new life as a Laker. A season after the drama, Jeff Van Gundy put it best by saying that the Memphis Grizzlies and GM Chris Wallace ‘donated’ star Pau Gasol to the team.
As a result of that trade, they are three NBA Finals appearances and two NBA titles richer.
Now, Kobe is talked about as being the Greatest Laker in franchise history. He’s only one title shy of tying Jordan’s six with the Bulls. Kobe, barring another title or two, will likely always be a notch behind Jordan.
Off Court
Did you know that Kobe Bryant’s prom date in high school was pop star Brandy? Yes, the former star of Moesha, sister of Ray J, and former fiancé of Quentin Richardson. Kobe has always been somewhat of a celebrity, even before he hit the league.
He was looked at as an athlete who let his game do the talking—even early on in his career. High profile companies such as Sprite, McDonald’s, and Adidas endorsed him. His image was squeaky clean as a player who loved the game, and he was a big name athlete who was advertising gold.
Then Eagle, Colorado happened.
The infamous rape case that made everyone view Kobe Bryant in a negative light was one of those "he said, she saids." I’m not going to get into the facts of the case, but if you want to know more, you can read here.
Personally, I do not think he did it, but will not get into that either. Ultimately, the case ended up resulting in Kobe's purchasing a $4 million ring for his wife as a "gift."
Kobe also ratted to authorities on Shaq for paying off women: a big "no-no" in the athlete world is throwing your teammate under the bus. It was one of the big events that helped spark the Kobe-Shaq feud.
Following this, the meetings between the two on the court were awkward. There were small shots exchanged over time, The best of which was a Shaq freestyle rap. Eventually, the beef was squashed and the two are now supposedly friends.
Kobe’s on-court antics come off to me as flat out cocky.
You have the right to be when you are an ice-cold killer with the ball, but some of it is just dumb. Case and point with his rat faced scowl. I dare anyone to find me something more gross looking that an athlete does than this to rev themselves up; It’s awful.
He always does that airplane thing after making a big shot too, which gets annoying. I mean, its not like he’s so good that he can jump over an Aston Martin.
Finally, we come to my favorite Kobe pictures. I don’t know what the L.A. Times Magazine, or Kobe, was thinking this past year, but they’re entertaining.
Deadspin.com did a hilarious photoshop contest to make fun of them, and they are definitely worth a look for a good laugh.
Like he has been known to do, Kobe killed the Blazers Wednesday night in their most recent game.
It wasn’t as dramatic as when he hit two clutch shots against the Blazers in 2004 to close out the regular season, sealing the Pacific division for the Lakers. Nonetheless, he put on a show at the Rose Garden, scoring 37 points and carrying the Lakers to victory on an impressive comeback.
With the momentum of winning All-Star MVP last weekend, Kobe seems refreshed and poised to bring the Lakers back up to contention in the West. I liked it much better when the lakers were losing to a historically bad, 26 game losing streak team.
Kobe Bryant is the best player of the last decade, but that doesn’t mean I have to like him.
For many, he is truly one of those players that you love to hate. His silly quirks and clutch performances against your team are enough to get anyone riled up. No city knows that better than Portland, and we had the "Kobe Stopper."
I have never, nor will I ever, like or root for the Lakers. They are my least favorite team in all sports, and it sure doesn’t help that that’s who Kobe plays for.
Maybe if he was on a different team, I might like him.
I honestly hope that his title runs are at an end, but doubt they are. Regardless, with Robert Rodriguez and Nike on his side, the "Black Mamba" is still thriving in the marketing world.
You may not like him, but you respect his talent, competitive drive, body of work, and overall game. He may not have many years left to be elite, so enjoy the love/hate while you can.
