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Kobe Bryant’s Final Chapter to Take Place in Rio

By Eric Yee

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The recent news of Kobe Bryant‘s desire to go out with a gold medal in the 2016 Olympics is an eye-opening news flash for Los Angeles Lakers fans that next year will indeed be Bryant’s last.

The question remains, does the “Black Mamba” deserve to make the team?

Poll results showed 42 percent of people believed Bryant deserved a spot on his own merit. A third of the voters didn’t think Bryant should make the team at all, and a fourth were okay with the nod as a retirement gift.

While the Twitter universe has spoken, it is only by breaking down Bryant’s competition and taking a look back at the construction of previous Olympic rosters one can get a better understanding of Bryant’s chances.

The Competition

It’s worth mentioning Team USA has developed a reputation of playing positionless basketball which has proven extremely successful in the Olympics time and time again.

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Furthermore, the past two Olympic teams have demonstrated the best available player doesn’t always make the final cut.

That said, of the current 34 men invited to the US National Team minicamp roster, there are seven “locks” that should be accounted for — LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook.

Unless one of those players opt not to play, the “Black Mamba” is theoretically battling for one of five remaining spots.

“You just try to pick the best team,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “It’s equity [built up from previous participation] as long as the talent from guys who have equity continues to be at that level with the newness of other maturing talented players.”

Based on the last Olympic roster, Bryant’s chances of making the team are seemingly better than most give him credit for. The 2012 team featured only one true center, two forwards, six wings and three point guards.

A rim protecting center is the one position that has yet to be accounted for and is a style that has become a staple of Team USA basketball.

May 14, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Clippers center DeAndre Jordan (6) blocks the shot of Houston Rockets center Dwight Howard (12) in game six of the second round of the NBA Playoffs at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

While these one-dimensional centers are not heavily abundant on the rest of the Olympic teams, the United States continues to find success by having just one defensively imposing big man.

It should be assumed the spot Tyson Chandler previously filled will be occupied by either Dwight Howard or DeAndre Jordan.

Another viable option for the center position would be a versatile big who can not only defend the paint but spread the floor on offense for the slashers on the squad.

This type of big would essentially be taking over the role Kevin Love played on the 2012 team. This spot should go to either Blake Griffin, DeMarcus Cousins or LaMarcus Aldridge, all of whom would be making their first Olympic appearances.

Two of those five big men will likely be selected which would drop the total number of spots down to three.

The remaining spots were previously filled by combination guards who could play anywhere from the shooting guard position to power forward. The last Olympic roster included a volume scorer in Carmelo Anthony, a lockdown defender in Andre Iguodala, and an all around player in Bryant.

Of the players remaining in the pool, the most realistic replacement of “Melo” and his ability to fill it up is Klay Thompson. Kawhi Leonard would replace “Iggy” as the lockdown defender of the squad, and Jimmy Butler is the most likely to attempt to replace Bryant.

Considering Butler’s meteoric rise to stardom and Bryant’s recent plague of injuries, “Jimmy Buckets” would be a great addition to round out the squad from a strategic standpoint.

Although none of these players offer the leadership or experience Bryant does, he could still be left off the final 12 man roster in an unbiased world.

Fortunately, it’s not an unbiased world and for basketball fans that’s a good thing.

Furthermore, it would be borderline blasphemous not to reserve a spot on the team for a guy who brought the goal medal back home after a clutch performance against Spain in a highly contested gold-medal game.

Historical Context

The 1992 Dream Team roster included two aging stars, Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, who technically shouldn’t have made the team but were included anyway.

Similar to Bryant, these two trailblazers created a legacy for up and coming players to follow and were justly rewarded with their final goodbye.

Jan 24, 2014; Orlando, FL, USA; Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard Kobe Bryant (24) against the Orlando Magic during the second quarter at Amway Center. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sportsw

Those spots could have easily been filled by other Olympic hopefuls and future hall of famers such as Isiah Thomas, Dominique Wilkins or James Worthy, but they weren’t for the same reason Bryant’s spot won’t be.

Instead, “Magic” and the “Hick from French Lick” were allowed to ride off into the sunset together, and the same treatment should be expected for Kobe “Bean” Bryant.

“Vino” doesn’t ask for much — aside from demanding a championship each and every season — and should be granted the same opportunity afforded to those before him.

Unless he is unable to walk, there is no way Bryant doesn’t write the final chapter of his storied career at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

“If he had a great year, it would be a great story for him to try to close out his career by winning a gold medal,” USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo said.

Do you think Bryant deserves a spot on the 2016 Olympic Roster? Let us know why or why not in the comments below!

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