The Kobe-hatred has died down recently. But to no suprise, there are still haters out there. It seems alot of you are gonna be in denial that he's better than Jordan talent-wise. But we know he's clearly the best player in the league today. After all the clutch shots, the championships, the famous 81pts, the scoring titles and other great perfomances, how many of you guys still actually hate Kobe Bryant for reasons that have nothin to do with basketball?
I'm actually glad you made this thread. I must say that watching Kobe play is highly entertaining, which is why I do consider myself a fan of his on court play....with that being said the guy has always seemed somewhat "phoney" to me. A laker fan actually wrote a good post about why people outside of LA don't really care for Kobe too much a couple of years ago at another board I used to go to. The "phoney" label comes from A. He does things like MJ....and when I say does things, I don't mean his on court play, but more like his mannerisms. Seriously is there any real reason to stick his tounge out when he's on the court other than to say "I wanna be like Mike". I picked up on this when the lakers were winning titles and it used to bug me. It's like "Kobe you're a great player, but find something else to do." Kobe's tounge wagging would be equivalent to Dwight Howard wagging his finger after a block shot like Mutumbo....find your own steelo. B. Off court drama. I'm one of those people that believe that it was both he and Shaq's fault as to why things didn't work out in L.A., but there doesn't seem to be a season that goes by without a little Kobe drama. I don't mind coming out and stating that you want to be traded, but changing your mind 4 times within one day over the radio, internet, and newspaper is a tad bit ridiculous. The now infamous "no bro" combined with "this is my team...and by my team I mean my team...I've been a Laker fan like forever, etc." just made me want to puke as a basketball fan. That whole scenario just supported my thoughts on Kobe. And those thoughts are that the guy is somewhat of an odd ball. He was always to be reported to be somewhat anti-social so maybe that has something to do with it. And calling a man out for cheating in the national media = lame. It doesn't matter if the man you're calling out is a diva himself it still = lame. And finally C. His fans. Not all of you, because I actually can have good discussions about Kobes game with some of you (and you who you are). But I dislike the fans who act as if the whole world is out to get Kobe. Seriously the guy has the number one selling jersey, turn on ESPN and they're always calling him the best player in the league, he still gets crazy advertisements. Yes he didn't win MVP a couple of years ago it wasn't because people "hated" him, if they "hated" him then they must have hated Lebron also since he didn't win. And the comments of "he's the best player in the NBA right now....no argument" gets kind of annoying especially considering what Lebron, Wade, and Duncan have done and are doing.
Yea, I actually dislike hearing the occaisional rant about "the entire world is against Kobe", or if I hear something regarding how good players are, saying something like "Lebron, Wade, Tmac, Vince, shouldn't be even mentioned in the same sentence as Kobe." (usually its not that extreme) But in the end I think regardless of these comments that I find tiring, I still think Kobe is a great player, quite enjoyable to watch, and probably the best SG/SF in the league right now (not that there aren't other great SGs and SFs). In my opinion, he is the best scorer in the league right now (and he is pretty efficient at it too).
Personally, I've always thought it was mostly Shaq's fault it didn't work out and here is why: He wanted a ridiculous amount of money that would have made it dubious to keep him even if Kobe and Shaq were best friends (his contract = salary cap hell); he's admitted that he started the feuds with Penny and Kobe in an NBA.com interview; and he is breaking down somewhat fast (takes off so many regular season games). Now Kobe's drama recently is indeed odd, but it is great because I want a tremendous amount of pressure put on the Lakers to get someone. And if we're on the discussion of what is extremely annoying of other fanboys (and what makes me "puke"), well that occurs when people talk about the Spurs getting too many FTs in game four against the Jazz; but then those same people ignoring what "happened" last year. Talk about hypocritical and "phony".
I thought shaq was an a-hole when he left Orlando....never liked him since (I used to be a big Shaq fan, I still have a lot of his rookie memorabilia from 92..including old Pepsi bottles that have yet to be opened...yummy)
I am not sure how one can conclude that Kobe is easily the most talented player in the league. I think there is a huge argument there. Overall, he may have the best skill set, but even that is debatable. Kobe vs. Lebron. Scoring wise you have to give it to Kobe based on his ppg. Passing you have to give Lebron the edge. Rebounding you have to give it to Lebron. Team leadership - no brainer, its Lebron. Atheletic skill- tough. Kobe has a more refined game that has come with years of experience (comparing a 28 yr old to a 22 year old). Lebron is much more powerful, better leaper, bigger, and stronger. Kobe has better offensive moves. Maturity - this is obviously something Kobe lacks as shown once again by the happenings of this week. Lebron is much more likable and mature beyond his years. I think this contributes to his team sucess. rebuttal?
here is why i think leadership is a no brainer. when lebron came in the league, they were absolutely at the bottom of the barrel. His second year they make the playoffs and have never looked back. They have advanced to the semis and now it looks like to the Finals under lebrons leadership. And guess what, the team is terrible aside from lebron. Not even ONE allstar (no one even close). Under Kobe's leadership. Year one they miss the playoffs entirely. Year two they were 6th seed and blow the series to Phoenix after Kobe played a great first 6 games (less shooting more involvement of team). Year 3 they are 7th seed and lose in 5 to Phoenix. All first round loses. Well the West is tougher right? TRUE. But there is no excuse for LA not being a 4-5 seed this season. And there is no excuse for Kobe (being a veteran) not being able to close the Suns last year. I think Lebron has shown more in his leadership position than Kobe thus far (and Wade too for that matter - actually Wade more than both). Rebuttal?
hmmm....I can't really blame Kobe for this year...the Lakers had A LOT of injuries....last year I thought they should've closed out Phoenix after having a 3-1 lead though....if Lebron goes on to win tonight and goes to the finals a puts up a good fight or even wins against the spurs I'll have a tough time saying who is better than who (as we all should if that were to happen)
Well, I think Wade is the best current player until proven otherwise. If Lebron is able to take this cast to the Finals, he is a strong contender. If he wins the Finals, he takes Wade's spot as best player in the game until proven otherwise. For Kobe to be considered, he has to win an MVP or lead his team to a big playoff victory. Currently, Wade then Lebron/Kobe (pending tonight).
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">Well, I think Wade is the best current player until proven otherwise. </div> I agree with this <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">If Lebron is able to take this cast to the Finals, he is a strong contender. If he wins the Finals, he takes Wade's spot as best player in the game until proven otherwise. </div> and this
to answer the question though...no I don't "personally" hate kobe...he does things that annoy me, but the only players I truely "hate" are Stockton and Malone
<div class="quote_poster">THE DREAM Wrote</div><div class="quote_post"> A. He does things like MJ....and when I say does things, I don't mean his on court play, but more like his mannerisms. Seriously is there any real reason to stick his tounge out when he's on the court other than to say "I wanna be like Mike". I picked up on this when the lakers were winning titles and it used to bug me. It's like "Kobe you're a great player, but find something else to do." Kobe's tounge wagging would be equivalent to Dwight Howard wagging his finger after a block shot like Mutumbo....find your own steelo. </div> I think this is one of the KEY reasons that most people dislike Kobe. Aside from the on-court similarities between him and Jordan (which also played a big role, because people weren't ready or willing to accept a Jordan "successor" around the time Kobe emerged), Kobe's off-court mannerisms also mimick Jordan's. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not, but it makes it harder for Jordan fans (which is the majoirty of basketball fans) to accept Kobe. However, it should be noted that Kobe's mannerisms mimicked Jordan more so in the past than they do now. The way he speaks, conducts himself, and even the looped earring on one ear; they all remind people of Jordan. Even his voice is similar to Jordan's. Case in point, people think he tries too hard to be somehting he's not. Personally, I don't think he does it intentionally (how can you change your voice modulation?) and the earring thing is something a lot of people do (even I wear one looped earring someimtes), but his timing was just off, in addition to the perception he gave off to the media. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> B. Off court drama. I'm one of those people that believe that it was both he and Shaq's fault as to why things didn't work out in L.A., but there doesn't seem to be a season that goes by without a little Kobe drama. I don't mind coming out and stating that you want to be traded, but changing your mind 4 times within one day over the radio, internet, and newspaper is a tad bit ridiculous. The now infamous "no bro" combined with "this is my team...and by my team I mean my team...I've been a Laker fan like forever, etc." just made me want to puke as a basketball fan. That whole scenario just supported my thoughts on Kobe. And those thoughts are that the guy is somewhat of an odd ball. He was always to be reported to be somewhat anti-social so maybe that has something to do with it. And calling a man out for cheating in the national media = lame. It doesn't matter if the man you're calling out is a diva himself it still = lame. </div> To anyone that does not know: Kobe DID NOT rat Shaq out to the "national media". He actually said what he did to the police (which is still as bad, lol), but he didn't know the officer was recording him, neither did he know the whole transcript would be leaked to the media. It doesn't excuse Kobe saying what he did, but he must have been quite angry/shocked at the time, and reacted in frustration, basically thinking "Shaq never gets caught for doing these kind of things". Too bad he thought it out loud. Everything that happened in 2003 just brought Kobe's "anti-Kobe" level to the maximum. ALOT of people needed a definite reason to hate him, and Colorado became that reason. The fact that he was acquitted made it even worse, as they now had another reason to hate him. <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> C. His fans. Not all of you, because I actually can have good discussions about Kobes game with some of you (and you who you are). But I dislike the fans who act as if the whole world is out to get Kobe. Seriously the guy has the number one selling jersey, turn on ESPN and they're always calling him the best player in the league, he still gets crazy advertisements. Yes he didn't win MVP a couple of years ago it wasn't because people "hated" him, if they "hated" him then they must have hated Lebron also since he didn't win. And the comments of "he's the best player in the NBA right now....no argument" gets kind of annoying especially considering what Lebron, Wade, and Duncan have done and are doing.</div> I agree with this. Some of you guys (yes, even some on the board) need to breathe in and realize that everything the man does is not always right. Furthermore, you need to realize that there are players that could be better than him, and players can be more deserving of him in terms of praise and accolades. Do you realize that the defensive way in which you react to other players (Wade, Lebron) who are termed to be 'greater' than Kobe is the same way Jordan fans reacted to Kobe when he was first making his mark? However, the only difference is that Jordan's praise was justified, and his fandom covered a larger territory than Kobe's. Kobe, especially now, posseses no other strength than his indavidual play, and the arguements of "Kobe fans" get weaker and weaker arguements as each year goes on. Essentially, they're being proved that Kobe won't be anything without Shaq (debateable, but for the time being his team success is basically non existent), and that other guys are coming up to Kobe's level (Wade last year, LB this year). I love Kobe, he is by far my favourite player, but until he wins a chamionship again, he will still be ridiculed. By the media, by people who don't like him, etc. It's just the way it is. Personally, I think the only thing that people are justified to not like him for is the Colorado scandal. That was a boneheaded move on his part (his wife is gorgeous, so I really don't understand why, especially when he had just had a daughter 6 months earlier). Other than that, I think Kobe is the product of bad timing. People don't relate to him because he was never happy-go-friendly with the media, and because he was always an enigma. The only thing people knew was that he was a great ball player. Add to that, he came when Jordan wass about to leave, as well as the fact that he had the balls to challenge Jordan in the ASG in 1998, and you got the recipe for "the Next Jordan". The next Jordan thing started off the hate for him, but it was the Lakers fame that catapulted his hate. The toungue and mannerisms came in to play, and on top of that, non-Lakers fans (majority), despised the Lakers. So after the chamionships, the Kobe hate was high. Than came the Colorado ordeal, and the hate peaked to unspeakable levels. And then the ensuing drama and break-up of the Lakers and his struggles to restablish the franchise has led us to the position we are now. It doesn't matter what Kobe does; he will be the most polarizing figure in sports regardless. As he himself says: "Love me or hate me, it's one or the other. Always has been. Hate my game, my swagger. Hate my fadeaway, my hunger. Hate that I'm a veteran. A champion. Hate that. Hate it with all your heart. And hate that I'm loved, for the exact same reasons"
Kobe = narcissist Okay, I'm a fan of Kobe and the way he plays, but it's CLEAR to me that the guy is a narcissist. For those of you that don't know what that means, it's that he thinks he is God's gift to basketball and the world. Now, you can be confident/cocky and not a narcissist - see Chauncey Billups, Baron Davis, and a million other guys in the league. EVEN Dwyane Wade (who seems borderline narcissist). But Kobe is pure narcissist. Does that make him evil? No. But traditionally narcissists are never the most popular guy in the room. A narcissist is the guy who says "great pass, man", but you feel inside he's thinking "i could have made a pass twice as hot as that but i should try and make an effort to come off as humble"....it's a feeling you cannot shake. This guy at my office said to me the other day "I love watching the guy play, man" almost with a guilty look on his face. Why guilty? Cause he knows the guy's a narcissist and you shouldn't root for narcissist. But sometimes you can't help it. Am I the only one that believes Kobe is a narcissist? Share your views please. P.S. i would say LeBron is the best player in the league right now, including scoring and leadership, Wade second, Kobe third, Nash fourth.
See, when people say they don't like Kobe because of his narrcsistic views, I don't understand it. MJ was the same way Kobe was in terms of confidence/attitude/competitiveness. So you can't just say Kobe's narciscm (sp) is unjustified and 'phoney'; alot of players are the same way he was. Lebron is getting there, and Wade seems quite cocky to me as well. Bu the thing people realize is that if YOU were in the positions that they were in, it would be hard to NOT be cocky. People say they'd be different in the situation, but how can you just assume that? Have you been worth millions of dollars? Do you have millions of fans? Are you the face of a league, and a franchise? Are you skilled to the point that you are a shoo-in for the hall-of-fame? Do you have people admiring you, asking for autographs, every second of every day that you are not in a private place (or sometimes, even in private places)? The thing I love about Kobe is his attitude, his comeptitveness and his confidence. You guys say you hate Kobe doing this kind of thing, but then it's the same reason you ignore people like Tim Duncan, because you find his game and his attitude "boring". Enough of the double edged sword already.
