Let’s get something straight off-the-bat: Kobe is the greatest of his era. He transcended the game long before social media could have elevated him to god status. You know this because probably half of your friends in middle school and high school were Lakers fans, and STILL are to this day. You know this because girls would have cut-out magazine pictures of Kobe in their locker and their binders. You know this because #8 was the number always taken in gym class. You know this because you saw purple and gold EVERYWHERE during those years. Even your mom knows who Kobe is.
It’s hard to imagine, but all of his team mates from his first championship run in the early 2000’s have all retired and left their careers behind long ago. They’re all waiting on the other side of the game now; ghosts ready to collectively leave behind an incredible legacy.
When Shaq moved on to Miami in 2004, it was a resounding answer to the world that the Lakers were willing to sacrifice one of the greatest players of all time to make Kobe their future.
And they bet right. 5 years later, the Lakers would eventually ride 3 straight Finals appearances and 2 championships.
But that’s not Kobe today.
The groundwork for the 2nd run was laid out over 10 years ago and now the Lakers find themselves rebuilding, this time without anyone to build around. This wouldn’t sound as strange as it does, until you actually realize that the Lakers are using Kobe as part of their pitch. Not as a legacy pitch, but as a “hey don’t you want to say that you got to play with ME, Kobe, the year that I retired?”
The Lakers are, currently, a bad team. They have no REAL tradable assets other than D’Angelo Russell and, again, NO one to build around. Who the hell would want to play there? After yesterday’s disaster presentation with free-agent LaMarcus Aldridge, it’s clear that the Lakers probably aren’t going to acquire any free-agents worth noting this go around. They already lost out on Kevin Love, Greg Monroe just signed with the suddenly entertaining Bucks, and the DeMarcus Cousins trade looks to be dying every minute that this guy is breathing and shitting all over the Kings franchise.
They still have hope for Dwayne Wade’s corpse if they still want it, but the Lakers are just feeding on bone there.
And the terrible thing is: This isn’t the first time Kobe’s killed a free agent’s mojo like that. Actually, there’s a long documented history where Kobe just couldn’t do enough to lure, you know, humans to play with him.
Remember the Dwight experiment? Fail. You know, Carmelo Anthony was well on his viagraoverthecounter.net way to becoming a Laker. Psych! And let’s not forget what happened with Shaq and Kobe in 2004; this feud was so apparent and destructive, it even has it’s own Wikipedia page.
I think through the scope of time, long after Kobe and LeBron have played their final games, we’ll begin to realize that LeBron was our Magic and that it was Kobe who was our Jordan all along. Both were coached by Phil Jackson and played the same position, so it’d be only natural for Kobe to have assumed the title. And ALL this IS PURE Jordan; the alpha who had to call the shots who wanted everything ran through him. It’s a double edged sword, this Jordan complex. On one end, you have a fierce competitor who will get the most out of his teammates, just as long as they follow his Mintos lead. On the other end, you have a maniac who drives everyone away.
The greatest players don’t get to go out like Pete Sampras. What’s ironic is that’s what makes them great; their delusional belief that they can will their team “just one more time.” Favre, Shaq, Emmitt. Even Jordan’s weird years with the Wizards. I still remember his last game; I stayed up and taped that game. It was against the 76ers.
Maybe I’ll record Kobe’s last game.
Maybe.
