Nov 23, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Denver Nuggets forward Wilson Chandler (21) fouls Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant (24) in the second half of the game at Staples Center. Nuggets won 101-94. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
There is not a single player in the NBA as polarizing as Kobe Bryant. Thanks to the age his career grew in, he might be the most polarizing ever. His career peaked as the 24 hour news cycle became a real thing. Right as he was shaking off the narrative that he couldn’t win without Shaquille O’Neal by winning two championships without the big man, social media was starting to become what it is today. Everybody had a Facebook or Twitter account, allowing a continuous stream of conscious — all without a filter. The people that loved Kobe Bryant had many forms to express it, and there are some people that LOVE Kobe Bryant. These “Kobe fans” will defend him to the death, refusing to acknowledge anyone else. Any slight against Bryant is a personal slight against themselves, and that’s what causes the polarization.
There are people out there that don’t love Kobe quite as much. Sure, they start off liking him, or maybe they have no opinion on him. He’s that annoying shooting guard that plays for the Los Angeles Lakers, the most popular team in the NBA. But it’s because of these Kobe fans that their opinions shift. No longer is he Kobe Bryant the player, he’s Kobe Bryant the annoying idol that I can’t stand ’cause these people won’t shut up about him! Okay, we get it, he won some rings, and that’s all fine and dandy but every time we talk about a great player HE DOESN’T HAVE TO COME UP AHHHHH. Uhh…sorry, where was I, oh right, polarizing. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the anti-Kobe fans take the Kobe fans as a personal slight against themselves, and that’s what feeds the polarization.
The truth, of course, is somewhere in the middle and parts of both. He’s one of the greatest in the NBA, but it’s impossible to ignore that Kobe isn’t what he once was. The player that scored 81 points in a game — he is no longer that guy. Between age, two very severe injuries, and the depleted roster around him, it’s unlikely we’ll see him hoist a trophy any time soon. His career is coming to an end.
Which is why I’m thankful for Kobe.
When people say that Lakers games are worth the price of admission for Kobe alone, they might be exaggerating, but only a little. Kobe is playing at a level that many of us thought was past him. Sure he’s chucking shots, but not the way a Nick Young or Jamal Crawford chucks them. Kobe chucks them in a way only Kobe Bryant can. Turn around jump shots, shooting over a double teams, six seconds on the shot clock and from so far behind three point arc only a crazy guy would shoot it. He’s putting on a show, with both his good and bad moments, on a nightly basis, and it’s pretty fun. I’m thankful for all of this, because one day, it’s going to be gone. There will be a day where Kobe announces his retirement from the NBA, and that will be it. We won’t get any more of those turn around jumpers he’s unofficially trademarked, no more shooting over double teams with 100% confidence it’s going in, but worst of all, it will be the end of Kobe making some of the toughest shots in the NBA. With the knowledge that day is coming, I’m thankful we have Kobe Bryant while we do.