Kobe Bryant morphed from star, to superstar, to an icon
It’s quite surprising that no one ever has a debate on which Kobe Bryant was better. Was it the “Afro Kobe” number 8 or the “clean-shaven bald” Kobe number 24? Sounds like a future article for Lake Show Life. But one thing is for sure, the NBA world was introduced to a bad boy in Kobe Bryant in Game 4 of the NBA Finals against the Indiana Pacers.
With Shaquille O’Neal fouling out in OT, Kobe Bryant started handing out business cards willing the Lakers to a commanding 3-1 lead in the series. Did we fail to mention that he did it on a badly sprained ankle thanks to Jalen Rose, who “accidentally” slid his foot under Bryant’s.
While Duncan was the lead star to the Spurs championships, Kobe Bryant had to sacrifice his game to fit it with the triangle offense to allow O’Neal space to dominate down low. Where Stephen A. Smith gives Duncan the edge is that Kobe at times caused issues with his feud with Shaq that might have brought more opportunities for NBA titles. A conversation that was brought up as recently as this past offseason.
When Shaq was traded and Phil Jackson was not offered another contract, Kobe Bryant had to learn to become a superstar struggling just to get the team to the playoffs based on lack of talent. The struggles forced Kobe to grow up as a leader. When he was reunited with Phil Jackson, he understood the big picture of winning championships.
By then the clean-shaven, number 24 Kobe had taken over and led the Lakers to three straight NBA Finals trips, winning two of them back to back. The final championship was an epic 7 game marathon avenging the Boston Celtics beat down two years earlier.
What made him an icon? How about blowing out his Achilles and shooting the free throws before walking off the floor? How about being the only reason to come to the Staples Center after the team fell on hard times?
Then there was that 60 point thing in his last game as a pro. Mamba out!
Here’s where Kobe Bryant will outlast Tim Duncan head to head.