Kobe Bryant: A Reflective Piece

Kobe Bryant is finally retiring after twenty years in the NBA.  During his tenure in the NBA, he has been one of the most dominant, misunderstood, and defiant athletes of all time. His talent, work ethic and drive propelled him to the very top of the game of basketball and inspired generations of basketball players.  He carried the NBA after Michael Jordan retired.  He is widely considered the second best shooting guard to ever play the game.  Kobe played the game in an aggressive, never-back-down, in-your-face, style that people either loved or hated.  He is an icon and will be remembered and revered well after his last game in an NBA arena.

What are your earliest memories of Kobe Bryant?  My earliest memories of Kobe are not what you might expect.  In fact, my earliest memories of him are not images of him making game winning shots.  Instead, they are of him struggling as a rookie against a Utah Jazz team.  I remember him receiving a pass at the end of a NBA playoff game.  Once he received the ball, he shot multiple air balls.  Despite him temporary failure, you could see that he still felt that he was the best player on the floor. It is this defiant attitude that has defined his career.  Even during times when a normal athlete would doubt his skills, Kobe never did. So, his courage under fire and willingness to strive for greatness are my earliest memories of him.

What are your favorite moments of Kobe when he was at the height of his powers?  For me, there are too many moments to choose just one, or even a few.  I remember him being the undisputed best player in the game for a span of at least ten years.  During this period, he was dominant on both ends of the court.  He won five NBA Championships and an NBA MVP award (he should have won more than one).  During one season, he averaged thirty-five points per game.  During that same season, he scored sixty points in three quarters against the Dallas Mavericks, then scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors.  He won multiple Olympic gold medals; and he was named to countless NBA All Star Games. He was criticized and applauded for him game.  But, through it all, he remained true to himself and did things his way.

Watching a player ascend to the top of a sport is a pleasure.  However, there are two sides to every career—a start and an ending.  So, you always know the end will come.  Most great athletes’ skills start diminishing while they are fighting Father Time. During my time watching professional sports, I have only seen a handful of truly great athletes exit their respective sports near or close to the peak of their powers.  Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, Kobe is not one of those athletes.  The past three seasons have been marked by incredibly bad luck for Kobe.  His Lakers have transitioned from a perennial powerhouse to a literal laughing stock of the NBA.  During this unfortunate transition, he has suffered season-ending injuries the last three years.   Kobe is similar to the late, great Tupac Shakur in a sense because people always expect him to come back from adversity.  However, the end is inevitable for us all--even the great ones. 

This year, Kobe has looked like a fish out of water on the court.  It has been tough watching him be exposed on the offensive and defensive end.  It has been tough watching him shoot air balls. For the first time in his career, he has found himself on the court with players who are better than him.  This could not have been more apparent than the Lakers most recent game against the Golden State Warriors.  During that game, we were able to see two players at opposite ends of their careers.  Steph Curry is ascending, while Kobe is at the end of a historic career.

Although the end is near, fans will get an opportunity to watch him play his farewell tour.  I believe he is still capable of stringing together some good, but not great, games.  I look forward to seeing him during NBA All star Weekend one last time.  I want to see him battle Lebron, D. Wade, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett and other all time great players at least one more time.  In the meantime, in an effort to refresh my memory of how great he once was, I have been watching old highlights reels.  Although his days of dominance are surely over, his legacy is forever etched in stone for generations of NBA fans to enjoy.

Peace

Steph Curry: A Transcendent Talent

To say Stephen Curry is a transcendent talent might be an understatement.  During the past few years, he has been in quite a groove.  This groove culminated in an MVP award and NBA championship in the 2014-15 NBA Season.  Steph epitomizes the rare talent who exceeds expectations.  He was not heavily recruited in high school and he attended Davidson College, which is hardly known for being a haven for top notch, NBA-level talent.  In fact, he did not come onto the national scene until his team made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament during his last year at Davidson College.  Even with his impressive individual run, many NBA scouts thought he would not be able to become a full time starting point guard in the NBA.  Some of the comments made about Curry just before the NBA Draft were—and I am paraphrasing—he is not athletic, he is too small, he is not strong and he is a poor defensive player.  These so-called “experts” completely missed the mark.

I have been an avid basketball fan for at least twenty-five years.  During my time spent playing, observing and talking to other fanatics about the game, I learned what was traditionally expected of a point guard.  Some of the skills necessary for success as a point guard include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) toughness, (2) defensive prowess, (3) strength, (4) intelligence, (5) leadership, and (6) great passing.  These core skills were what defined the position “Before Curry” (B.C.).  Now, in order to play the position at the highest level, a point guard must possess other skills, such as the ability to stretch the floor.  This ability, B.C, was usually required of a team’s shooting guard.  But now, teams are looking for players with Curry’s shooting ability to play the point guard position (good luck with that search).  Curry’s unique shooting ability has truly revolutionized the game of basketball.   

So, what makes Curry so different?  Well, he is easily the best shooter in the history of the game.  Yes, I made that statement, and certainly stand behind it.  When you think about the great shooters in the history of the NBA, certain names come to mind—Reggie Miller, Ray Allen, Steve Nash, Dirk Nowitski, and Larry Bird.  Steph, in my opinion, is a notch above each of these shooters because he has an uncanny ability to make shots, from well behind the three-point line, off the dribble.  He is not just a spot-up shooter; rather, he is a difficult shot-maker.  I watched a game just last night when he scored 53 points, with 28 coming in a furious barrage in the third quarter.  He is impossible to guard because he is a threat from any spot on the court.  Most players have certain proclivities that make them susceptible to defensive schemes aimed to stop them.  With Steph, I do not see any offensive weakness.  He has one of the tightest handles the league has ever seen—coupled with the purest jump shot in league history. Taken together: he is nearly impossible to guard.

Have we ever seen a player like Steph Curry?  The short answer is no.  However, the closest comparison, offensively, would be an “in-his-prime” Steve Nash.  He too possessed a tight handle and an ability to shoot the ball extremely well.  However, not even Steve could shoot the ball from 30 feet with remarkable precision.  Considering Steph’s relative humble beginnings, I find it very ironic and encouraging that he has to be included on a short list of players who revolutionized the game.  Some players on that list include: Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul Jabar, Julius Irving, Michael Jordan, and Shaquille O’Neal.  Of all of these players, only Steph Curry looks like a regular person.  By that I mean, he is not extremely tall, muscular or otherwise physically imposing.  If you saw him walking down the street, and did not recognize his face, he would not otherwise standout. 

If Steph Curry remains healthy, I have no doubt that he will be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.  That would be pretty sweet considering many people thought he would not even become a full-time starter in the NBA.  His story shows that belief in oneself, coupled with a great work ethic, can help a person overcome seemingly insurmountable odds.

Peace