I'm a 80's baby so I grew up loving the game because of Magic Johnson.
When he retired , came back an faked out Latrell Sprewell playing with Nick and Eddie , and then retired again it was a sad pill to swallow.
Who was worthy of taking the crown of the Laker kingdom?
With the magical powers of Jerry West he was able to see something special in this high school kid from Philadelphia.
Plus reeling Shaquille away from Orlando helped us quite a bit who proved he clearly wasn't worthy of the crown when he bad mouthed Dr Buss. Attempting to short change Kobe out of his first big contract.
Crazy how Kobe has been in this league through three different generations of players.
From playing against Michael Jordan and Reggie Miller, to Allen Iverson and Ray Allen, Tmacc and Vince Carter, to Lebron and Melo, now against James Harden ,Durant, Westbrook, Steph Curry.
Looking back at my username which was created in 2006. Ain't no way Lebron was crowned King of the league during Prime Time Kobe. All them Kobe haters were hoping Lebron could strip him of that title ASAP.
I'm sure Kobe's going to write a book about his playing "tour" where he met multiple generations of NBA players. He's a remarkable historical link between eras.
Looking back at my username which was created in 2006. Ain't no way Lebron was crowned King of the league during Prime Time Kobe. All them Kobe haters were hoping Lebron could strip him of that title ASAP.
Well said.
Kobe's achilles giving out brought him down a bit.
Joined: 18 Aug 2005 Posts: 1601 Location: Lakers Bench
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 12:56 pm Post subject:
Kobe thanks for the 12 3 pointers in a game (against Seattle), thanks for the 62 in 3 quarters (against Dallas), thanks for the 81 (against Toronto), thanks for effort in the playoffs coming back against Portland down by 16 to start the 4th, thanks for 55 you dropped on MJ in your last meeting with him, thanks for the 48 points and 16 boards against Sacramento in game 4 of the playoffs, thanks for dropping 61 on the Knicks at the garden, thanks for the 65 point game against Portland with those amazing 3s (1 at the end of regulation and 1 in overtime), thanks for almost pulling off a playoff miracle against the Phoenix Suns, thanks for the rings and thanks for it all. Here's to at least 1 more season for the fans of the game. _________________ "It's all about the beer"
Having grown up in LA it was pretty tough defending him when I lived in Philly (AI craze) then deeper in the Northeast when the team was in the Smush/Kwame era. Yet the constant star was Kobe. I can't tell you how much my heart sank when Kobe tore his Achilles. I thought his career was over.
I appreciate the hard work he's put in these past years after his injuries. I just wish he could go out better than this.
I still feel sad about that injury because that moment marked the final appearance of the Kobe who was right up there with the very best MVP-level players in this league.
Him walking up to the free throw line and sinking both shots so easily after all of that has to be one of the most badass moments in NBA history. Even with the Dwight, Nash, and Jamison acquisitions in 2013, it was Kobe's phenomenal season that was the best part of that year.
Totally. I've said many times that that season was such an incredible accomplishment and when you factor in everything one of the most impressive seasons for a player ever _________________ "Bryant has been the second best player in the NBA for over a decade, but the number 1 player changes every other year. Somehow the number 1 player always seems to fall down the list but Kobe just never moves up. ". The Art of Hating Kobe Bryant
Joined: 25 Jul 2013 Posts: 9577 Location: Salem, OR
Posted: Wed Jul 15, 2015 4:02 pm Post subject:
For all the painful memories of the '12-'13 season, that version of Kobe was probably my favorite behind him during our repeat years. Absolutely dominant and was a man on a mission.
Posted: Thu Jul 16, 2015 5:41 am Post subject: Re: Official KOBE BRYANT appreciation thread
cheetos82 wrote:
I've had enough guys. Please stop all the talk about trading Kobe or forcing Kobe to retire. This is the guy who bleeds purple and gold. Please go watch the documentary Kobe Bryant’s Muse. Is it staged? Likely. Is it biased? Most definitely. But you can't fake hard work and you can't fake dedication. You definitely can't fake the Achilles's injury nor the tears from it.
All of you that hates on him forget what years 1988 - 2000 were like and this man is reason we have 5 rings in the last 15 years. Or maybe you weren't even Laker fans back then.
Does his contract suck and hinder our cap space? Yeah. But I don't care. This man has earned it and I am willing to suck a couple of more years just to thank him for his services.
The Lakers will always be around, but Kobe won't and I don't know if we'll ever have another player like Kobe in a Laker uniform. Show some damn respect people.
Thats what the money's for.
In case you forgot, he's been paid 280 million dollar during his career by the Lakers.
Lets not pretend this is some serviceman who lost some limbs in Iraq.
_________________ Maybe you think it's completely innocent. Maybe you don't. But there's no denying that what the rule book says means a lot less than what the NBA wants at any given moment. -Tim Donaghy
Joined: 07 Jul 2006 Posts: 8287 Location: Oxnard, Ca.
Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2015 10:51 pm Post subject:
Kobe's contract has not hurt the team one bit, it's horrible management decisions.
If Kobe is healthy he has demonstrated that he is still an elite player.
Kobe is a top ten all time great, enough said! _________________ .....
.....
ALTHOUGH HE STANDS 6 FEET 2 INCHES, JIM BUSS ATTENDED JOCKEY SCHOOL WHEN HE WAS 20.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a dream that Kobe was traded to the Raptors. All I remember from the dream besides that was actually seeing him in the blue Raptors uniform on the bench.
What does that have to do with this topic? Well not much other than I hope I never see Kobe in another team uniform again.
GOAT whether the haters like it or not, in my opinion he will always be the Greatest Of All Time Kobe Bean Bryant _________________ My Dream Starting 5 next Season
I like Kobe and believe he still can play at very high level. however, he may be facing new difficulties now: how to grow with the young teammates and this young team. His abilities and experience make him at another page. While the team is learning how to play offense, he is already thinking about defense. While the team is aimimg at playoff, he is aiming at championship. He may put too much pressure on his teammates and disrupt the coach's schedule. As a leader, he must communicate with the coach first before he publicly push his teammates. He must learn how to work with the coach and make sure his comments are in line with the team's plan.
I like Kobe and believe he still can play at very high level. however, he may be facing new difficulties now: how to grow with the young teammates and this young team. His abilities and experience make him at another page. While the team is learning how to play offense, he is already thinking about defense. While the team is aimimg at playoff, he is aiming at championship. He may put too much pressure on his teammates and disrupt the coach's schedule. As a leader, he must communicate with the coach first before he publicly push his teammates. He must learn how to work with the coach and make sure his comments are in line with the team's plan.
So Kobe has to consult with Byron Scott (who's never won anything as a coach and is mediocre at best) how to push the young players?
There is no such thing as "too much pressure" if the young players are cut from the same cloth as guys like Kobe, Magic, West.
I swear some of you act like Kobe wasn't the common denominator in every single great thing about the Lakers in the past 15 years.
Its still early but so far Kobe has done as masterful job of allowing guys like Randle, Clarkson and DRuss to grow and take more ownership of the offense. (Anyone who's REALLY paid attention to Kobe and what a great leader he actually is isn't surprised by any of this, btw. We all expected it)
I pray that Kobe stays healthy so I can enjoy a long season of him making people eat crow once again.
Isn't every thread a Kobe appreciation or P&M thread? _________________
"Through the legs to the left, through the legs to the right, we don't run them Laker plays, we just Kobe fadeaway..."
I like Kobe and believe he still can play at very high level. however, he may be facing new difficulties now: how to grow with the young teammates and this young team. His abilities and experience make him at another page. While the team is learning how to play offense, he is already thinking about defense. While the team is aimimg at playoff, he is aiming at championship. He may put too much pressure on his teammates and disrupt the coach's schedule. As a leader, he must communicate with the coach first before he publicly push his teammates. He must learn how to work with the coach and make sure his comments are in line with the team's plan.
So Kobe has to consult with Byron Scott (who's never won anything as a coach and is mediocre at best) how to push the young players?
There is no such thing as "too much pressure" if the young players are cut from the same cloth as guys like Kobe, Magic, West.
I swear some of you act like Kobe wasn't the common denominator in every single great thing about the Lakers in the past 15 years.
Its still early but so far Kobe has done as masterful job of allowing guys like Randle, Clarkson and DRuss to grow and take more ownership of the offense. (Anyone who's REALLY paid attention to Kobe and what a great leader he actually is isn't surprised by any of this, btw. We all expected it)
I pray that Kobe stays healthy so I can enjoy a long season of him making people eat crow once again.
I'm a Kobe fan too. I've been watching all Lakers games possible since the day Phil took over this team. I'm not trying to downplay Kobe. I wish he win another ring too. However, with 19 seasons experience and 7 appearances in the Finals, he is obviously on another page to most of his teammates. In fact, only MWP has ever won a ring in this team. How to grow up with his teammates together, almost from beginning stag, is really challenging to him. I just want him to be more patient on the progress of development and communicate well with coach Scott. I do like Scott's approach to Kobe. He has shown much respect to Kobe shown his willingness to lead the team together with Kobe.
Stay on track. This is a Kobe appreciation thread, anything other than appreciation and positive comments probably has its own thread for it. _________________ Maybe you think it's completely innocent. Maybe you don't. But there's no denying that what the rule book says means a lot less than what the NBA wants at any given moment. -Tim Donaghy
I will miss Kobe Bean Bryant when he finally hangs them up. It is going to be a sad day. I will make my way to LA and watch a game or two this year and next to make sure to see him while he is still playing.
There will never be another Kobe Bean Bryant with the tenacity, high bball IQ, do or die mentality. I don't see it in any of the NBA stars right now or in the future.
Jody Genessy: Kobe to Hood: “I can shoot it 30 times—you can shoot it 10 times. Don’t try to go there with me.”
Hood smiled: “To some point he was right.” 13 hours ago – via Twitter DJJazzyJody
You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum