Kobe Bryant: The Journey To Getting Title No. 6 and Solidifying His Name

It has only been a month and a half since the NBA has ended and it has been two and a half months since I last saw the Los Angeles Lakers with their quest for their three-peat. Months now seem like years and the only news I ever hear are about the NBA labor talks and Kobe Bryant taking his talents overseas.

In all his interviews he seems to look nonchalant, but deep down you can tell that it's eating him alive that there might be no season and that means another blown opportunity (wasted year) without a beloved sixth ring.

If you don't already know, Kobe Bryant is the closest person in the entire basketball world to come close to challenging Michael Jordan for the "Greatest of All Time" position in the NBA. Some say that may never happen and some say that it will happen or already has. Both players live for the moment to take the final shot and either hush the opposing team or walk off the court hungry for another shot in the moment.

I am one of those believers who feels Kobe can surpass Michael Jordan for the top spot, but to prove that to everyone else he feels he needs a ring on all six fingers.

Living and growing up watching both players and their eras, I can say that Kobe Bryant seems to be in the much tougher era with greater competition with teams who have greater fire power than many teams in Jordan's '90s. Stars like LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki are now up there challenging Kobe and wanting to take away his mantle.

There are hundreds of debates whether on ESPN, blogs or television where analysts and people say Kobe's old and no longer great, but let's go back three years when Bryant's injuries started to pile up.

It started with the torn ligaments in his shooting hand in '08, dislocated finger on his shooting hand '09, dislocating index (Kobe's release finger) along with several knee injuries and ankle sprain in 2010. Let's think back and reflect on the number of games he's played in three years including playoffs and the Olympics. At some point a body is going to get worn out and need to get rejuvenated.

Jordan went through the same type of injuries in his time and at some point we started to wonder what if he was losing it and would never be the same anymore. After playing baseball, he got pretty rejuvenated because he didn't have to do as much as he had to for the Chicago Bulls. Athletes who actually get to the Finals and play for three straight years start to show some signs of fatigue, especially after injuries that came their way along the line.

Number six...an unimaginable number for championships. The great Bill Russell has 11, but I'm not even going to go there. Many believe the Lakers' time is up and so is Kobe's, but I refuse to because I feel Kobe has something up his sleeve for the next NBA season.

Kobe is now on a mission and after reading all the workouts and training that he's been doing it almost sounds like the motivated Kobe from when Shaq left and won a title. The same Kobe who was on a mission to win championships after the Celtics bullied them in '08.

Ever watch the NBA commercials where a caption comes saying, "Where Amazing Happens" and wonder what that really means? Anything can happen in the NBA, whether you're 20 or 33. It doesn't matter as long as you have a will and you strive for greatness you can accomplish anything. I believe Kobe is on that mission to personify his greatness.