There are a few awkward legacies that exist within sports, legacies that don’t quite get the full attention that it might deserve for a multitude of reasons. The New York Islanders winning four consecutive Stanley Cups is far less popular of a fact then the two consecutive decades of the Detroit Red Wings entering the playoffs. The 11 rings of Bill Russell and the 10 rings of Yogi Berra are far off the pop culture popularity of Jordan’s 6 rings or Mayweather’s so-called perfect record. The 85 Bears will forever be known for its defense and incredible playoff run---but the 2012 Tampa Bay Buccaneers were just as nasty, just as destructive. And now we have Kobe Bryant, probably the best player this millennium has to offer---buried underneath other players, other incidents, and other champions.
Kobe Bryant is definitely one of the 20 best players of all-time, but just doesn’t quite get that press. I mean, he does get press, but not really the press about his accomplishments and legacy. He never got the LeBron/Jordan press; heck even Shaq seemingly had more attention when the Big Aristotle was with the Lakers. Bryant couldn’t quite shake off the ballhog or teammate-killer status, even though in his later years he needed to be in full control in order for his Lakers to have a shot. And after Jordan finally stopped hogging the limelight, it wouldn’t be too long before we saw the likes of Wade, Carmelo, and LeBron step in (2003 NBA Draft, my goodness, it was that long ago?) and become the new faces of the NBA—with the Malice at the Palace and the Tim Donaghy scandal thrown in between. If Kobe had been a Jazz or a Hornets player, he would be at Tim Duncan level of attention..
And Kobe knows this.
This is why he pushed so hard, so damn long, for one last playoff run. He had 5 rings—right below Jordan. He was 3rd on scoring---below Kareem (another Laker great). Bryant was defiant and so badly wanted that sixth ring and scoring title he was willing to scorch the earth to achieve this. Bryant would destroy relationships with every teammate if he felt that they weren’t going to help him accomplish one last playoff run. Dwight Howard’s time in Los Angeles was a disaster because Bryant never accepted him. Steve Nash’s run in Los Angeles didn’t go well partially because Bryant didn’t like his end-of-career outlook. Kobe knows the only way to brush past the thick walls of the LeBron Era (which would compare James with the older NBA legend Jordan as opposed to Kobe) he needed to absorb that one final elusive ring and take in some records to finally stand out. Kobe threw 20 years of intense labor into the game he loved, and leaves behind a legacy that struggles because of its timing and circumstances.
Kobe Bryant started playing in the Michael Jordan Era, which ran from the late 80s to the early 2000s. Bryant played under Peak Shaq, who dominated the late 90s with his size, personality, and sheer strength. The early 2000s saw the Lakers dominating, but it also came with some boring uninspired NBA basketball (run by the Spurs) that would begin after the NBA on NBC ended. After NBA/NBC, Michael Jordan and the 90s stars started departing, as did the popularity of the league, and the best player at the time (there’s also that rape case that made Kobe look bad….) .
Then in 2003, the NBA changed forever because of the slew of hip, youthful, motivated new stars ranging from LeBron to Wade to Bosh to Carmelo to Dwight Howard (Dwightmare began in 2004). Even with back-to-back rings, Kobe couldn’t quite shake off the more popular stories of the Cavs, Heat, Thunder, and even the Big 3 Boston Celtics. And then came the referee that admitted to tainting games, including the greatest playoff series in the history of the NBA known as the Kings/Lakers Western Conference Finals—which should have ended with the Kings winning the Finals over the Lakers and eventual Nets and altering the entire NBA landscape.
Similar to the criminally underrated Tim Raines, the second-greatest leadoff hitter of all-time, being eternally in the shadows of Rickey Henderson (the greatest leadoff hitter of all-time), Kobe was always in the shadows of other people and other situations throughout his run. He knows that unless he could win 3 without Shaq, 1 without Phil Jackson and the infamous Triangle Offense, and 6 overall, it won’t be enough to certify him as the best of his generation, and among the best since the departure of Michael Jordan.
He needed one more run. One more push. Father Time did not allow this. The ruthless Western Conference wouldn’t allow this. And now we have a man breaking apart in front of us on his final season—a slow goodbye that is painful to watch because it won’t have the happy ending that he deserves after all his hard work and dedication. Perhaps down the road we will give Kobe his “era” much like how Jordan got his, the Bad Boys got theirs, the Celtics/Lakers got theirs, and LeBron would also have his. As of now, we are witnessing the last season of a great player that is one of the last links to the awesome 90s NBA period. Nothing more, nothing less.
Take care, Kobe.
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