Storyline: Kobe Bryant, was the mediator between two great teams and eras, the ’95-96 Bulls and ’15-16 Warriors. Bryant helped make the NBA what it is today. Written by Evan Engel, Los Angeles.
In NBA basketball–where the game is ruled by the three-point shot and protected by the softest group of referees ever–Kobe Bryant’s final game was the perfect ending to his masterful legacy and the original era to which he belonged.
Courtesy: www.balldontstop.com
Think about this. Ten days after Michael and his Bulls capped off a record season with a game 6 win for the NBA Championship, Kobe Bean Bryant, a 17-year-old kid from Philly, was drafted into the League. Now, 20 years later–and after an extreme transformation in the NBA–Kobe still sits on top of the basketball game of thrones … as the Golden State Warriors overtook the Bulls’ original regular season win-record.
What we, as fans, take for granted is that this 20-year window was perhaps the most special time in NBA history. Here’s why.
There has never been a more perfect example of two great teams, from two VERY different generations, than the ’95-96 Chicago Bulls and the ’15-16 Golden State Warriors. The Bulls had the best player of all time, while the Warriors have the greatest three-point shooter of all time. They both won in different ways, yet maintained the same level of confidence.
So what does Kobe have to do with all of this? EVERYTHING.
He’s the mediator between two legendary teams and eras. Taking what he learned from those ’95-96 Bulls and his idol, Michael Jordan, Kobe brought to the League something that Jerry West hadn’t seen in half of his current teams at the time (and they were pretty freaking good). West saw Kobe’s venom, just like a baby rattlesnake. He knew he had to tame the snake to harness the toxin.
West ended up trading for him and the rest is history. During those 20 years Kobe learned how to destroy every team in his path. Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, and every other young, elite player today stayed up to watch Kobe be Kobe. And it was more than just watching for enjoyment and entertainment. They were learning, and subconsciously taking in, something really important: you had to be like Kobe to be in the NBA elite.
Steph Curry, 1990 (photo, GQ.com)
They would step outside to their hoop, taking shots yelling, “Kobeeeee!” The Damian Lillards, James Hardens, Kevin Durants, Lebron James, Russell Westbrooks, Kyrie Irvings, and many more of our League’s current all stars grew up watching the greatest player of their generation.
Kobe was the one player who showed them what a Herculean type of training could do for you in the League. And, because of Kobe’s generous, 20-year demonstration of hard work, the League has never been more talented and skilled than it is now. And it won’t stop getting better, either, largely because of Kobe Bryant.
The buzzer beaters, the 81-point game, the five rings, and the classic “mamba face” all stand out in their own right. But, collectively, they come together under one word, KOBE.
Courtesy: theodyesseyonline.com
Thank you, Kobe, for everything you’ve done for this league.
Thank you. Kobe, for making the NBA so much better.
Thank you, Kobe, for connecting two generations together.
Thank you, Kobe, for raising the bar of excellence to a glorious new height.
You raised the bar all the way to the end of your career, on your final night, by dropping 60 points as you exited stage left.
It doesn’t matter if you’re LeBron, Durant, or Curry. You won’t match that kind of ending.
No one ever will.
Perfect article about our Laker legend. Thanks for writing this, Evan Engel.