Kobe Bryant: What Does the Lakers Star Have to Prove in 2011-12?

For a 13-time NBA All-Star, five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA Finals MVP and the all-time Lakers leader in games played, minutes played and points scored, there's not much left for Kobe Bryant to prove.

Frankly, Kobe could easily hang up his hat and retire as perhaps the greatest Laker (Magic Johnson is certainly in the discussion) and one of the greatest players in NBA history. 

Ask Jerry West—Mr. Clutch and Lakers legend—and he'll tell you that Kobe is the greatest Laker of all time.

There are no statistical categories Kobe needs to eclipse for basketball fans to confirm his sheer domination on the court—his spot at No. 6 on the NBA all-time scoring list illustrates that.

Nor does Kobe need to prove all over again that he's a champion—Kobe's five championships, both with and without the services of basketball legend Shaquille O'Neal, justify his championship standing.

So what else does Kobe have to prove?

I'm not buying into the argument that Kobe needs to prove it's "his league again" by stealing the spotlight away from up-and-coming players like Kevin Durant and Derrick Rose. Basketball should be a young man's sport, and if anything, Kobe welcomes the fresh competition and is not out to suppress it. Kobe was heard most of last year joking about his old age with reporters.

Nor does he need to prove his worth against Michael Jordan's career numbers—that's an entirely separate debate. Just being in the debate as the greatest of all time is enough. It's certainly plausible, as former players and coaches have confirmed, that privately this serves as a motivation for Bryant. But that should not be Kobe's goal coming into next season.

What Kobe must prove next year to Laker and basketball fans is his ability to carry a team. I'm not talking about his on-court contributions—his championship résumé has unequivocally proven he can carry a roster.

I'm talking about the entire Lakers organization.

The Lakers are undergoing a secular sea change for the ages. Gone is the triangle offense that was instrumental to all of Kobe's five championships. Gone is the architect and purveyor of this offense, Phil Jackson. Gone are the days of buying sprees that can hand-pick players to build a dream roster.

As a league, we are facing uncharted territory, and as a team, the Lakers are facing monumental regime changes.

Management has shifted from one of the greatest owner in sports, Dr. Jerry Buss, to his apprentice and son Jim Buss.

Coaching is now in the hands of Mike Brown and a completely overhauled coaching staff—save for Chuck Person—with new ideas, new methodologies and new approaches.

As the incumbent patriarch and unquestionable franchise leader, Kobe Bryant needs to prove he can be the brace of stability for the Lakers organization amidst the bevy of changes.

How the Lakers players take to Mike Brown and his coaching staff is entirely up to Kobe. Brown must earn Kobe's respect—not the other way around.

Despite his signature on Kobe's paycheck, Jim Buss must accommodate Kobe—not the other way around.

All roads lead to Kobe, and it will be his decisions, his approach and his vision that determine the outcome for the Lakers franchise moving forward.

It's been said that Kobe has not always been the easiest teammate to get along with. Many teammates are scared of the Mamba. The leaders of the locker room are Kobe and Derek Fisher in a "good cop, bad cop" role, with Kobe—the relentless killer that he is—playing bad cop.

Kobe's reaction to management's decision to keep him out of the loop on the new coaching hire—a silent, "no comment" policy—might also indicate similar shades of a colder, bad cop approach when it comes to Jim Buss and new management.

Whether this needs to change is not the issue. Whether it's the right approach we can't be certain. Only Kobe knows the methods behind his madness, and he surely understands the importance of his role as torchbearer for the organization going forward.

Kobe must prove he can navigate the behind-the-scenes turmoil and oncoming turbulence that is certain to follow such huge management and coaching changes. He must prove that he is capable of leading the organization—not just his team—and steering management in the right direction not as an adversary, but as the chief adviser.

When Kobe speaks, the world listens. Kobe must use this power to lead—not protest.

With the determination, intelligence and leadership Kobe has shown over his career, I have no doubt Mamba can and will answer the call to lead Laker Nation forward, proving once again that with Kobe, we are witnessing the work of a basketball living legend.