Kobe Bryant is one of the most recognizable names in sports. His prominence in basebatball for the last two decades has helped him reach the pinnacle of celebrity status as an athlete. Well, and the fact that he’s played in Los Angeles, home of the strongest spotlight and the brightest stars in America. Kobe, known simply by his first name to even those who haven’t watched a second of basketball, is mentioned with Michael Jordan and LeBron James as the faces of the sport in the last 20 years. So it’s no surprise that after his retirement was announced earlier this season, it assured crowding basketball headlines for the entire rest of the year. By now, at the beginning of February and nearing the All-Star break, Kobe’s season has
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For starters, and most famously, he allegedly raped a 19 year old in 2003 at a spa in Colorado. Then, he was proven to have paid off his wife in diamonds to apologize just to avoid a costly divorce. Then, after a few years of playing with one of the top-15 basketball players ever in Shaquille O’Neal, he took every single interview possible to take shots at him and selfishly run him out of town, despite Shaq being one of the nicest people in sports and the reason Kobe had all of his championships at the time. He sued his own mother for selling his paraphernalia. Several ex-teamates have come out and referred to him as a “locker room cancer” and that, unlike other stars, he was not enjoyable to play with. Rockets centre Dwight Howard took $30 million less in Houston just to get away from him. Legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson called him “uncoachable”, “too stubborn” and “self-centered”. He takes and misses shots at a higher rate than anyone in NBA history, while not playing much defense at the other end. He openly torments teammates, including being seen mocking former Laker Jeremy Lin at a practice. Recently, ex-Laker Samurai Parker said Kobe punched him over $100 in 2006. The list goes on-and-on, and the bottom line is that Kobe is one of the worst overall people in sports right now, if not the worst, and the facts back it up. Every single elite basketball player, coach, or executive that he’s ever been …show more content…
Also wrong. With the number two pick in the 2015 NBA draft, LA selected shooting guard D’Angelo Russell out of Ohio State, who is thought to be the future of the franchise. His development starts with playing pro basketball minutes and turning into a player that the team can count on for the long-haul. In fact, the team has several other young players filled with potential, notably forward Julius Randall and guard Jordan Clarkson. But Kobe and his theatrical tour has completely disrupted it, as GM Jerry Kupchak admits. "Under normal circumstances [in a season like this], at some point, you would probably concentrate on just developing all your young players”, he told ESPN. “And we can't do that right now. This [season] is really a justified farewell to perhaps the best player in franchise history. And, God willing, he's going to want to play every game and he's going to want to play a lot of minutes in every game, because that's just the way he is.” But why does it have to be like that? Russell in particular’s talent is one that doesn’t quite fall from trees, as such a highly regarded young shooting guard is hard to come by these days. And his entire development has come to a screeching halt just to feed someone’s ego? It’s as even Kupchak himself has been brainwashed by the media, or the
For starters, and most famously, he allegedly raped a 19 year old in 2003 at a spa in Colorado. Then, he was proven to have paid off his wife in diamonds to apologize just to avoid a costly divorce. Then, after a few years of playing with one of the top-15 basketball players ever in Shaquille O’Neal, he took every single interview possible to take shots at him and selfishly run him out of town, despite Shaq being one of the nicest people in sports and the reason Kobe had all of his championships at the time. He sued his own mother for selling his paraphernalia. Several ex-teamates have come out and referred to him as a “locker room cancer” and that, unlike other stars, he was not enjoyable to play with. Rockets centre Dwight Howard took $30 million less in Houston just to get away from him. Legendary NBA coach Phil Jackson called him “uncoachable”, “too stubborn” and “self-centered”. He takes and misses shots at a higher rate than anyone in NBA history, while not playing much defense at the other end. He openly torments teammates, including being seen mocking former Laker Jeremy Lin at a practice. Recently, ex-Laker Samurai Parker said Kobe punched him over $100 in 2006. The list goes on-and-on, and the bottom line is that Kobe is one of the worst overall people in sports right now, if not the worst, and the facts back it up. Every single elite basketball player, coach, or executive that he’s ever been …show more content…
Also wrong. With the number two pick in the 2015 NBA draft, LA selected shooting guard D’Angelo Russell out of Ohio State, who is thought to be the future of the franchise. His development starts with playing pro basketball minutes and turning into a player that the team can count on for the long-haul. In fact, the team has several other young players filled with potential, notably forward Julius Randall and guard Jordan Clarkson. But Kobe and his theatrical tour has completely disrupted it, as GM Jerry Kupchak admits. "Under normal circumstances [in a season like this], at some point, you would probably concentrate on just developing all your young players”, he told ESPN. “And we can't do that right now. This [season] is really a justified farewell to perhaps the best player in franchise history. And, God willing, he's going to want to play every game and he's going to want to play a lot of minutes in every game, because that's just the way he is.” But why does it have to be like that? Russell in particular’s talent is one that doesn’t quite fall from trees, as such a highly regarded young shooting guard is hard to come by these days. And his entire development has come to a screeching halt just to feed someone’s ego? It’s as even Kupchak himself has been brainwashed by the media, or the