Kobe Bryant is one of the top vote-getters for the NBA All-Star game, something that has caused some drama among fans. Does Bryant deserve a starting nod in the loaded Western Conference this season?
Prior to the start of the 2014-2015 season, Kobe Bryant had played just six games of competitive basketball in 18 months. His well-publicized recovery from a torn Achilles tendon lead to great media and fan applause during his return in the winter of 2013, yet the Mamba was hit with heartbreak just 6 games later when a fracture in his knee caused him to sit out the remainder of the NBA season, once again.
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By now, we all know the drill: Kobe gets injured, people say that he can’t return half as refined as he was beforehand and, lo and behold, he silences his doubters. Bryant’s bewildering ability to take so many knocks and still come back fighting has become a trademark of his soon-to-be Hall of Fame career, yet, aged 36, worn, beaten up and with 411 NBA starts since his 30th birthday, the world knew that this would be a new challenge for a new Kobe.
It’s January, and a new year can’t change old practices: we’re picking our MVP candidates, the Splash Brothers are making our jaws drop, we’re laughing at the Cavs, and the world of the NBA is criticizing Kobe.
People have hurled plenty of insults at the Mamba this year: he’s “inefficient”, his “contract is cancerous”, he’s “hurting the team” and, a personal favourite of mine, he “doesn’t care about his team anymore”. And now that the All-Star balloting numbers are coming in, with due excitement, it appears that people are using a popular opinion in order to drive and validate their own baseless argument.
"In the latest balloting numbers – released on January 1st – Kobe sits behind only Stephen Curry in total all-star votes for backcourt players. Having accumulated 694,665 votes, Bryant sits 178,151 points ahead of fellow two James Harden, and 566,123 ahead of the third and fellow shooting guard on the list, Klay Thompson."
I think that I speak for the majority of the Lakers’ fanbase when I say that I’m delighted to see Bryant’s support as animated as ever, regardless of what the rest of the league has to say. Kobe deserves to be in the All-Star game for the 17th time in February, and here’s why.
Whether you like it or not, All-Star balloting numbers reflect three things: consistency, style, and mass appeal. For decades, the skill, dunk and three-point contests have been exhibitions of finesse and technique presented in a trivial fashion. The selection has always been somewhat casual; a harmless approach has always appeared most effective for a series of events that really do not take themselves too seriously.
Whether we like it this way or not, the All-Star game is continuing in its path of decline in the same as ‘the warm-up shows’ did. The ‘all O, no D’ approach to the game has lead to the fixture becoming more of an entertainment spectacle rather than a basketball tie. Crazy dunks, thrilling threes and cutting crossovers have become the norm, but a normality that many – for some reason – don’t feel that Kobe Bryant should be a part of.
It appears that when Kobe Bryant enters an equation, the rules of acceptability have to be rewritten. The All-Star game stops becoming a glorified pick-up game and becomes an astronomically important game of five-on-five. This misconception seems to have filtered its way into common knowledge and people are oblivious to what they’re saying about the all-star weekend when they demand that Harden starts in favor of Kobe.
Bryant and LeBron James are the most recognizable players in the world of basketball – fact. With recognition comes popularity, and with popularity comes fame, and with fame comes success, and with success comes recognition; it’s a circle, love it or hate it, that the NBA abides by, and 2015’s Bryant is an exceptional case study for this very theory.
Kobe still makes SportsCenter headlines for a reason. Kobe still has people turning on Lakers games for a reason. Hell, people still get enraged talking about Kobe for a reason. Polarizing though he may be, Bryant remains what he has always been: electrifying.
People want to see what Bryant will do with the ball in his hands with two seconds on the shot clock. People want to see how Kobe will perform alongside Stephen Curry. People want to see how Kobe will maneuver the floor in a game with the fastest, strongest and most athletic players in the league. The Mamba is a draw, and the All-Star game just wouldn’t be the same without him.
Hoops Habit
When you next find yourself criticizing Bryant, ask yourself why. There’s a reason why Jeremy Lin sits in 9th spot in the Western Conference backcourt voting; there’s a reason why Kevin Garnett finds himself ahead of Nikola Vucevic, Paul Millsap and Al Horford, too. Proportionately, does James “deserve” to have the most votes of all candidates in the league? Yes, of course he does, and so does Kobe.
The All-Star game is a fast, fun and innocuous popularity contest. Stars draw numbers, and it’s a convention that we’ve come to accept; changing the boundaries for Kobe just because he is who he is remains ridiculous.
Come the All-Star weekend, I can’t wait to watch Kobe on the court, and when all is said and done, I’m sure that everybody will agree. Love him or loathe him, people remain intrigued by the mystery of the man. Bryant is a walking enigma – his unpredictability remains one of his greatest draws, and as much as his cynics would love to disagree, he’s the man that we all still love to hate.
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