5 time NBA Champion, two time NBA Finals MVP, 2008 NBA MVP, 12 time NBA All-Star, 3 period NBA All-Star Game MVP, 2-time scoring winner, 12 time All-NBA Option, 10-time defensive selection, and today, entitled among the top ten players of all time from the guy, Michael Jordan. All of the conversations on the bleacher report viewing Kobe’s place in history may last, but only remember Michael’s thoughts.
Even with all this, in a new Yahoo Sports article, Kobe responded to Jordan’s statements by saying “That stuff does not get to me. You can’t inspire me to take me into a place that I am not currently at.” Don’t Be so quick to label Kobe as ungrateful, he added, “It steps into a property that just a select few have ever been about. I understand. That’s what is special to me, which I am this fortunate to have this chance. So, let us try to get the most out of it.”
However, it is not his achievements that stand out. It is his character.
When asked about how he would love to be remembered, Kobe said, “Hopefully, they perceive me as a man who did whatever he needed to do to win above all else. Above anything. Above stats. If they say that about me I will be happy.”
This “Killer Instinct” that Kobe has been dubbed with does not come from championships, as well as MVP’s, it comes out of his personality. It comes from when being confronted with a linebacker-esque one time Cavalier from the title of LeBron James, he finds a way to shoot a shot high over his head that the cameraman must correct the view. Plus it goes in.
That desire to pursue that continuous objective of winning does not come from a requirement of urgency, or even to meet his potential. It comes from the way the man is built. Fortunately for Laker fans, not only was this guy constructed with a ton of the things, but he just happened to also be a gifted basketball player.
In recent decades, Kobe hasn’t necessarily been the most talented athlete, the fastest, the strongest, or even the most composed, tallying up record technical fouls. But he found a way to win, repeatedly.
This is because while Stephon Marbury was doing his little song and dancing on webcam, or Allen Iverson was contemplating playing Turkey to avoid taking a seated role on a team, Kobe was adapting. He was able to take the gift he was blessed with and combine it with his own unparalleled motivation and hard work and discovered a way to win. Over, and over again.
His knee, his ankle, his hands, each the harms that might have virtually every other participant in the group, Kobe took on as another challenge. It fit into the schema of his personality, a new challenge, a new way barrier to conquer.
Rather than rigidly trying to preserve his “golden days” of driving to the hoop for posterizing slam-dunks, he accepted his age-related deficits and developed one of the greatest jump shots from the game. He focused on his job as a facilitator. Rebounds, assists, and continued protection.
Kobe’s drive and motivation, or as he likes to call it, his “over-achievement” is the main reason he had been able to adapt to the match, both on an individual level and as a team. When he was younger, he had been a celebrity hoping to shine. Shaq only happened to have in the way of this spotlight “I have not given it thought that I wanted to receive six to grab Michael. His six and my six are distinct. That is not to say that they were harder than mine since I needed to play a distinct role and do something out of character in my first three. They are just different.”
Something from his character.
At a young age, Kobe desired control. He wanted to hit the shot and have the crime revolve around him. And it did not, so he left him frustrated. Can we really blame him though? Do not we all have to go through the natural development of selflessness on the path to maturity? He had the abilities and he wanted to win, but he did not fully understand the game of basketball, which was his Achilles heel.
His character now involves using his priceless teammates: Derek Fisher, Pau Gasol, Ron Artest, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom. He’s plenty, and he knows that. Kobe went out of his way to attempt and recruit Raja Bell, a famous nemesis. If Kobe really wanted to be scoring champion, does anyone doubt he would fail? The team could, but would he?
Possibly the most critical insight into Kobe’s personality came halfway through the Yahoo Sports interview.
He did not mention anything about how many names he’d win, or MVP’s, but he left everything he possibly could have from the chance he was given.
And the opportunities are endless.
