Kobe Bryant didn't express any remorse. He didn't apologize. He just whined and complained after being slapped by the NBA with a two-game suspension for hitting Memphis guard Mike Miller with a forearm shiver in last Tuesday's Los Angeles Lakers-Grizzlies game. It was a typical reaction by Bryant, a star who had already sullied his image and is now seen as a magnet for controversy. For a man who once was mentioned as Michael Jordan's heir apparent and viewed as the new face of basketball, Bryant has transformed into a player fans love to root against.
Doesn't get it.
Three years ago, it would have been hard to picture Bryant as a persona non grata. After all, he was doing ads for Sprite and adidas, while helping lead the Lakers to three consecutive NBA championships. But then he was charged with sexual assault and news began to leak out about his deteriorating relationships with teammate Shaquille O'Neal and Lakers coach Phil Jackson. By the summer of 2004, Bryant's popularity had dwindled substantially. He was blamed for Jackson's retirement and O'Neal being traded to Miami. Perhaps that had something to do with the fact that Bryant's dyspeptic personality is the outer manifestation of a man who is confused on the inside.
Bryant wants not only to be loved by the fans but also maintain a level of street credibilty. At one point, he hated the squeaky clean image he had. He was the son of an NBA player, was raised as a child in Italy and was looked at as a talented player who got all the breaks in life. So he got some tattoos and went to Harlem's Rucker Park and put on a show with the neighborhood ballers one summer. He also began asserting himself in his relationship with O'Neal, a dynamic star who always got more of the limelight. But when Bryant began trying to gain more street cred, he antagonized some of the fans he once had.
The rape allegations didn't help and neither did his feuds with O'Neal and Jackson, who each seemed more mature and level-headed than the younger and considerably less savvy Bryant. As a result, the former Golden Child began losing his endorsements and suddenly found himself in no-man's land. He was never going to be loved like Allen Iverson by the kids in the #### and Corporate America, which had grown tired of his act, no longer wanted anything to do with him.
And who can blame them, especially after seeing Bryant's vicious flagrant foul? What happened last Tuesday was the latest missetep by a frustrated man who still doesn't get it. When he decked Miller, he didn't prove his toughness. He showed he was the same guy who ran off O'Neal and Jackson in 2004. Then the next day, Bryant was far from contrite, maintaining the same attitude the star guard had when he was being criticized for single-handedly destroying the Lakers team that won three titles. Bryant does not want to accept the blame. But he should, because in the end everything bad that has happened to him has resulted from his actions. If he just took responsibility for his transgressions, maybe he would get what he really wants -- approval.
Ah yes, who could forget that RAPE? Kobe does seem to think he's hard all of a sudden. It's pretty hilarious. NBA players (and fans) are the types who respect you more if you just be yourself. Bird didn't try to be black and neither should Kobe.
Good luck in the finals. Your stuff has a refined journalistic quality to it and I enjoy reading it.
Last edited by The_Sports_Intellectual on January 2nd at 4:38 AM.
Ah Yes, we love to kick people when they are down don't we? For all the Kobe haters, I guess we can't let go. Kobe is trying to do the best that he can with a team that most people consider a joke. He is a member of one of the most storied orginzations in professional sports. That alone requires a certain amount of respect. I will condone his behavior with the young lady in Colorado, but the case was thrown out. The relationship with Phil Jackson must not have been that bad, because he is coaching him again. The Shaq relationship is on Jerry Buss. I would have never traded way Shaq. He would have honored his contract or he wouldn't have played. Kobe is a pretty private person and he may not like the glitz and glam that comes along with the prototypical NBA lifestyle. He made a mistake, but if you haven't made one in your life, by all means throw stones. I am sure your glass house will stay intact for long.
Kobe was the better choice between him and Shaq. Reason 1: Age: Kobe is 6 years Shaqs junior. Reason 2: Reliablity: Let's think about this. In a close game who do you want to have the ball, Kobe who can create fouls and convert his free throws at 84 percent, or Shaq who converst at 41 percent at best.
Reason 3: Marketablity: Love him or hate him, if you take away the votes from China for Yao Ming, Kobe is the leading vote getter in the All-Star balloting. Beating out Shaq, Lebron, Garnett, and Dwayne Wade.
Kobe is working on his image, but when you look at the worst first, of course you will see the negative light on him. Shaq continues to play th
I don't like his style of play...but he does give effort. I think his biggest mistake was the Shaq relationship. Most players interested in winning would work to keep great players on their team, rather than worry about shot attempts or stealing the spotlight. What if Scottie Pippen demanded that him or Michael be traded? Kobe's no champion.
Thank you for your comments. I appreciate the compliment sports intellectual. In response to dukesmith, I think it is pretty obvious that Kobe has brought a lot of the bad stuff on himself. Phil returned to the Lakers, but he got a great contract offer. He certainly didn't seem to like Kobe when he wrote his book. He did get along with Shaq and Michael Jordan -- two other star players with big egos. What does that say about Kobe?
"Ah yes, who could forget that RAPE? Kobe does seem to think he's hard all of a sudden. It's pretty hilarious. NBA players (and fans) are the types who respect you more if you just be yourself. Bird didn't try to be black and neither should Kobe."
I don't understand all the haterade toward Kobe. First of all he didn't RAPE anyone, had he, he would be in prison right now. if he wasn't black he would have never even been charged, by the obvious RACIST city governement that is Eagle Colorado. I wonder what standard all of you who #### on Kobe are holding him against? Bird who said that he was insulted whenever teams assigned white players to guard him. Jordan, another adulterer and chronic gambler whose wife almost took him to the bank when his philandering went public (and was quickly buried by the media). Magic, who contracted HIV from who knows where, certainly not his wife Cookie. Shaq, a big lazy as whiner who hasn't shut his trap since Buss sh***ed on him and sent him to Miami Beach to live out his NBA FAT years. Puh_lease...I'm a knick fan, and could care less about the Lakers, but I know a great basketball player when I see one. Kobe is the best in the game. As for his personality shortcomings, I say go grab a mirror, look in it for about a week or two, and then write your life story down and post it on the internet. That's what professional athletes are forced to endure. I don't understand what it is he is supposed to "get". He gets paid to play basketball on a high level, does he not do just that, better than most? So, what's the problem?
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Last edited by CurlyMo on January 11th at 1:47 PM.
My name is Rainer Sabin. I am a 23-year-old freelance reporter who has covered professional and Division I college sports for a variety of publications and news services.
Doesn't get it.
