I just heard the strangest comment I have ever heard in my life.  They said "the way Kobe is playing in the first round (team first basketball) is showing his true character."  I was stunned, and disappointed.  I want to preface this with the fact that i'm not a Lakers fan, never have been, never will be.  I'm not a Kobe fan, never have been, definitely never will be.  I agree that it's a shock the way he's changed his game, and bought into the team system, but it's only been 5 games!!!!  And it shows his true character???  This is the same guy who alledgedly assaulted a 19 year old girl in Colorado.  The same guy who, admitted to cheating on his wife. The same guy who, as an NBA superstar, was dating a highschool girl.  No, not his highschool sweetheart, but a girl he met as a member of the Lakers.  I've never heard the story of how they met, I bet it's a good character kind of story.  This is the guy who single handedly forced Phil Jackson to retire, and Shaq to demand a trade.  The fact is, i've never seen him doing anything that remotely symbolizes good character.  I've never heard of the community service he does, he's suprisingly absent from the NBA read-to-achieve program.  Why is that?  Because nobody wants their kid to grow up to be Kobe.  I agree with Raja Bell that he thinks he can do whatever he wants.  That Kobe walks around with an ego large enough to fill the LA coliseum.  But he's a joke, a ticking time bomb.  He gets under people's skin, and that's what he's best at.  Overall he's a pretty darn good player, and thinks he should be considered the next Jordan.  Changing numbers justs adds to the drama that surrounds him.  The bottom line is, he'll never be in the same class as Michael Jordan.  With Michael you had a classy individual who knew that the game of basketball is what made him great.  Kobe thinks that the game of basketball is great because of him.... What does that say about "character"?  How soon we all forget.