Undoubtedly one of the greatest talents the NBA has ever seen; Kobe Bryant may be the most overrated player of all time.
Courtesy: bloguin.com
This will come with so many backlashes though because Kobe hands down has the largest group of supporters the world has ever seen. We can find that quickly as we constantly listen to crazed fans who think he will come back next season and be a top 15 player in the league. And this is somewhat well deserved. But this isn’t where the overrating comes though; it began long ago while Kobe was still coming into his own.
Kobe was traded to the Lakers his rookie year which immediately put him even more in the spotlight with well known knowledge of his father being Jelly Bean Bryant and entering the league as an outstanding high school player.
Courtesy: www.foxsports.com
Once Shaq came over, deny if you want, he was the pinnacle of any championship team that was about to be built. With Shaq’s overpowering dominance, Phil’s championship background, and a very well suited accompanying cast, the team was perfectly set to accomplish anything it wanted.
Kobe was a tremendous asset to have; electrifying, highflying, lightning fast, smooth shot, and an unequal determination to his craft. So three rings later and the departure of Shaq, the Lakers had to maintain a face, a money maker. Kobe was made for the spotlight, remember. This is where the ego and brand of Kobe began to explode.
Courtesy: lakers.topbuzz.com
Kobe would go on to put up amazing scoring performance most notably 81 points against the Raptors, win two more rings, and capture a MVP trophy. However Kobe completes his career with only one MVP title making it hard to argue he ever dominated the league as the best and that is where the overrating makes an appearance; the notion that Kobe is arguably the best.
Others who can reasonably argue the title have more than one MVP trophy. Not to mention there is a long list of shooting guards who I could hypothetically put on those early Lakers teams and they still would have won and perhaps won more because they would not have to deal with the Diva.
On the second back to back run an argument can be made that the team was more the reason for the championships more than the Black Mamba. Gasol was unstoppable and provided the perfect match to Bynum’s force. Add that to two 6’9 wing players who can spread the floor in Ariza and Odom with the three and you have difficult problems long before you get to Kobe.
Despite all, Kobe’s longevity of staying relevant and winning later championships with Gasol places Kobe in a different stratosphere. But this make-believe comparison of him to Jordan is atrociously upheld. Even with six titles it won’t’ mean anything in comparison to how Jordan came about his.
Courtesy: www.balldontstop.com
In addition, the fact that no one wants to play with Kobe because he’s difficult to coach and play alongside on and off the court has counted against the sixth ring more than injury. Arguably a top ten talent of all time, but bruh chill out on greatest.
Completely agree, especially with this part:
“Not to mention there is a long list of shooting guards who I could hypothetically put on those early Lakers teams and they still would have won and perhaps won more because they would not have to deal with the Diva.” – who can definitely say that the Lakers wouldn’t have won with T-Mac or Iverson. But we know that without Shaq and Phil the Lakers couldn’t make the playoffs.
Nope totally disagree with you. Kobe does not need to have more MVP awards just to prove you wrong and all the haters out there saying Kobe’s “overrated”. Y’all don’t see the effort and training he does just to be able to do what he loves best and that is to play basketball. The awards are just a thing that could make you more boastful, but what makes a great player like Kobe is that he works and trains hard everyday and even plays some games with an injury just so that fans all over could see him play. I don’t know what your definition of greatness is, but I do know one thing Kobe IS AND ALWAYS WILL BE A DEFINITION OF GREATNESS.