A few days ago I found myself using Kobe Bryant as a positive example, in that he would not react as casually to a loss as Porzingis seemed to react. It made me realize despite my convictions (see below) that Kobe is an overrated player and was, without doubt, a terrible human being, my movement in the basketball community at coaching clinics, giving and hearing motivational speeches, in discussions on long bus and plane rides about hoops, had me reflexively include Kobe in a throw-away comment in a positive manner. Sorry if this is a rehash, but I am seeking forgiveness for praising this guy.
I continue to be baffled by the deification of Kobe Bryant. Even his untimely death does not justify his inclusion in the GOAT conversation. As a fan of basketball and history and especially of Basketball History his status defies all logic.
Let us set aside the most troubling aspect of Kobe's legacy for a moment. The coach side of me loves some of the stories of his work ethic and drive to be the best. But the absolute most flattering explanation I can offer of his behavior as a teammate and part of a team is that he had some undiagnosed mental illness that was untreated. It is almost impossible to find a teammate or coach that liked him. Not in the Bill Bellichick, Michael Jordan way that people think they went too far, were too focused on business that they neglected personal niceties. The most common sentiment of people from the Lakers during the Kobe era is people loathed and despised him. He was relentlessly cruel to rookies, role players, and people trying out for the team, long after his status as the star of the game was ensured. Phrases like "in all my years only Kobe (insert petty cruelness or outright attempts at humiliation). When he was charged with rape Mitch Kupchak famously said to Phil Jackson "you won't believe this" to which Phil stated he did believe it since he had already concluded Kobe was a sadist who enjoyed nothing more than hurting and dominating somebody. When the charges were announced only teammates new to the Lakers defended him in the press. Again in the most flattering understatement possible of Kobe the teammate, the off-the-court person has to be seen as negative.
Let's move onto the court. Kobe had the longest possible career in what has to be the most favorable environment in history. It wasn't until the very end of his career the NBA finally stepped in and stopped players and agents (until Lebron went there and the practice was revived) from forcing teams to trade them to the Lakers . He is at the center of two games (game 6 vs Sacremento and a game 7 we all remember) that hoops historians list as possible evidence of NBA refs fixing games. PER is not a perfect stat but the top 10 include Jokic, Jordan, Lebron, Shaq, Wilt, Gianis, Durant. And the top 23 include the rest of the people that have entered Goat conversations Magic, Duncan, Bird, Kareem. Kobe is 29th, for now. The best players below Kobe? Dirk, KG, Moses, Stockton who only enter the GOAT in qualified ways. "Well if I need ________I want ___" (D/KG. EURO/DIRK, 3 year peak /Moses. PNR/Stockton). So that stat does not support Kobe as GOAT or anywhere near GOAT. You want peak? Kobe best year is 89th all-time. Jordan and Lebron who always appear with Kobe in the memes done by 20-somethings in GOAT conversations have best PER seasons ranking 8th and 9th in a stat that seems to favor big guys and current era players. But many other guards Wade, Hardin, SGA, all rank much higher. Okay that stat unlike refs and Colorado juries is biased against Kobe. The "all time greatest shotmaker" had an effective field goal % of .482 and topped 50% 4 times in 19 years. HIs lowest efficiency other than his putrid last few years was the year when he took the 3rd most shots in his career. These numbers show us what we all saw. He shot way too much , passed way too little, and when he was shooting the worst he shot more. Back to the previous point about a terrible teammate. When Kobe Bryant shot the ball the return on investment was less than one point. Other numbers? His assist-to-turnover ratio is pretty bad, and his totals are really low for a guy who had the ball all the time. His steals and blocks are on par with an athletic 2 guard (but wasn't he the MOST athletic guard?) while his rebounding is below-average. Really when Shaq got hurt is the only time, for one season he seemed to focus on rebounding more. So the numbers do not support Kobe as goat. His play after his achilles injury runs the spectrum from league average to worst ever. Still, he fought tooth and nail any effort for the Lakers to acquire another star or change the focus of the offense. In fact some of th emost glaring stories of his personal cruelty to teammates and staff come from the supposedly mature, mellowed Kobe when asked to shoot less. His last year was the equivalent of batting the pitcher 3rd all year in a DH league. What if the least efficient shooter in the league took the most shots? 41% from 2 2% from 3 17 shots a game.
Okay to say what has been unsaid. Kobe raped a young woman. He initially lied to the police and instantly hinted at bribery as a way "to make it go away". Even his telling would not pass the current post "me too" standard of sexual assault. His lawyers and publicists through innuendo and leaks of false information did all they could to destroy his accuser. You can read about the details but be warned they are truly horrific. How, in woke LA did this guy achieve and maintain Saint status, even before his fateful helicopter ride?
My wish is to for all of us to speak the truth, and not get worn down (as I was temporarily) by the post-mortem rehabilitation of one of the worst people in NBA history.
I continue to be baffled by the deification of Kobe Bryant. Even his untimely death does not justify his inclusion in the GOAT conversation. As a fan of basketball and history and especially of Basketball History his status defies all logic.
Let us set aside the most troubling aspect of Kobe's legacy for a moment. The coach side of me loves some of the stories of his work ethic and drive to be the best. But the absolute most flattering explanation I can offer of his behavior as a teammate and part of a team is that he had some undiagnosed mental illness that was untreated. It is almost impossible to find a teammate or coach that liked him. Not in the Bill Bellichick, Michael Jordan way that people think they went too far, were too focused on business that they neglected personal niceties. The most common sentiment of people from the Lakers during the Kobe era is people loathed and despised him. He was relentlessly cruel to rookies, role players, and people trying out for the team, long after his status as the star of the game was ensured. Phrases like "in all my years only Kobe (insert petty cruelness or outright attempts at humiliation). When he was charged with rape Mitch Kupchak famously said to Phil Jackson "you won't believe this" to which Phil stated he did believe it since he had already concluded Kobe was a sadist who enjoyed nothing more than hurting and dominating somebody. When the charges were announced only teammates new to the Lakers defended him in the press. Again in the most flattering understatement possible of Kobe the teammate, the off-the-court person has to be seen as negative.
Let's move onto the court. Kobe had the longest possible career in what has to be the most favorable environment in history. It wasn't until the very end of his career the NBA finally stepped in and stopped players and agents (until Lebron went there and the practice was revived) from forcing teams to trade them to the Lakers . He is at the center of two games (game 6 vs Sacremento and a game 7 we all remember) that hoops historians list as possible evidence of NBA refs fixing games. PER is not a perfect stat but the top 10 include Jokic, Jordan, Lebron, Shaq, Wilt, Gianis, Durant. And the top 23 include the rest of the people that have entered Goat conversations Magic, Duncan, Bird, Kareem. Kobe is 29th, for now. The best players below Kobe? Dirk, KG, Moses, Stockton who only enter the GOAT in qualified ways. "Well if I need ________I want ___" (D/KG. EURO/DIRK, 3 year peak /Moses. PNR/Stockton). So that stat does not support Kobe as GOAT or anywhere near GOAT. You want peak? Kobe best year is 89th all-time. Jordan and Lebron who always appear with Kobe in the memes done by 20-somethings in GOAT conversations have best PER seasons ranking 8th and 9th in a stat that seems to favor big guys and current era players. But many other guards Wade, Hardin, SGA, all rank much higher. Okay that stat unlike refs and Colorado juries is biased against Kobe. The "all time greatest shotmaker" had an effective field goal % of .482 and topped 50% 4 times in 19 years. HIs lowest efficiency other than his putrid last few years was the year when he took the 3rd most shots in his career. These numbers show us what we all saw. He shot way too much , passed way too little, and when he was shooting the worst he shot more. Back to the previous point about a terrible teammate. When Kobe Bryant shot the ball the return on investment was less than one point. Other numbers? His assist-to-turnover ratio is pretty bad, and his totals are really low for a guy who had the ball all the time. His steals and blocks are on par with an athletic 2 guard (but wasn't he the MOST athletic guard?) while his rebounding is below-average. Really when Shaq got hurt is the only time, for one season he seemed to focus on rebounding more. So the numbers do not support Kobe as goat. His play after his achilles injury runs the spectrum from league average to worst ever. Still, he fought tooth and nail any effort for the Lakers to acquire another star or change the focus of the offense. In fact some of th emost glaring stories of his personal cruelty to teammates and staff come from the supposedly mature, mellowed Kobe when asked to shoot less. His last year was the equivalent of batting the pitcher 3rd all year in a DH league. What if the least efficient shooter in the league took the most shots? 41% from 2 2% from 3 17 shots a game.
Okay to say what has been unsaid. Kobe raped a young woman. He initially lied to the police and instantly hinted at bribery as a way "to make it go away". Even his telling would not pass the current post "me too" standard of sexual assault. His lawyers and publicists through innuendo and leaks of false information did all they could to destroy his accuser. You can read about the details but be warned they are truly horrific. How, in woke LA did this guy achieve and maintain Saint status, even before his fateful helicopter ride?
My wish is to for all of us to speak the truth, and not get worn down (as I was temporarily) by the post-mortem rehabilitation of one of the worst people in NBA history.
