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He was the best high school talent the country had to offer in 1995-96. He was brash, cocky, and full of attitude and confidence. And with Magic Johnson as his idol, Kobe Bryant, at the tender age of 18, decided to skip college and dive head first into the NBA.
Despite his numerous and unending comparisons over the years to arguably the GOAT (greatest of all time) – Michael Jordan, Kobe has downplayed his desire to overtake Jordan’s fame and popularity, although the intelligent NBA fan aware of Bryant’s unmatched on-court desire and work ethic cannot overlook the obvious lie Bryant presents when he says he isn’t competing with Jordan night in and night out. Jordan ended his career with 6 championships; Kobe today has 5 and is seeking his second 3-peat.
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There hasn’t been any player since Jordan to have been included in the discussion of the best NBA player ever to brace the hardcourt. No one except Kobe.
Durability-wise, there is no player like Kobe. Kobe has played in 1021 regular season games and almost 200 playoff games. Kobe is even outliving his contemporaries and is the only name that has remained static over the years in the best player discussions. First came Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Tracy McGrady, and Paul Pierce, then came LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade and now Kevin Durant. Kobe has competed with all these great players at their respective peaks and continues to do so with the latest crop of stars.
It takes more than talent and skill to be the best player in the league for almost a decade.
Kobe is 32 and will be entering his 15th NBA season in under a week’s time. Over time, his role has changed from being the sidekick to Shaq, to team co-captain, to undisputed team leader but with selfish tendencies, to missing the playoffs, to building trust with teammates, and now finally winning consecutive championships again and being a wiser team player.
With 5 championships, 2 Finals MVP, 1 regular season MVP – Kobe today embodies what every player entering the NBA aspires to be – The Best.
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