Weekend Argus (Saturday Edition)
His Airness got me hooked, but Kobe brought me back
E are here to celebrate greatness, For 20 years, excellence. For 20 years, Kobe Bryant has never cheated the game, he has never cheated us as fans. He is not only a great and unbelievable sports icon, but he’s also the greatest to wear the purple and gold.” – Magic Johnson.
Kobe Bryant. The Black Mamba. The 18-time All Star.
Like any basketball-loving kid growing up in the 90s, I was enamoured with Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls. No player shaped my approach to the game like His Airness did.
In my naïve young mind, Jordan was immortal and he was going to play forever, but I was hit by the reality that even he had a time limit to his career and as he and the Bulls closed out with six NBA titles, I asked myself: who’s next? Who will take over Jordan’s mantle?
Shooting guard Kobe Bryant first caught my attention at the 1997 Slam Dunk contest during the All Star weekend in Cleveland. The brash upstart won the event with an amazing midair between-the-legs dunk.
I thought, “here was a player worth taking note of ”, but as Jordan called time on his playing career I didn’t pay much attention to the game. It wasn’t worth watching if the greatest player and one of the reasons I picked up a basketball had called curtains on his career.
It was only when Jordan’s mentor, Phil Jackson, joined the LA Lakers to coach two of the biggest egos in the NBA (Bryant and the larger-than-life centre Shaquille O’Neal) that I started paying attention again.
The Lakers had fallen into the shadows during the 90s and were looking to recapture the past glories of the “Showtime” team of the 80s which consisted of once-in-a-generation players such as Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul- Jabbar. That legendary pairing had led the California team’s locker room to five NBA titles.
With the Bryant- O’Neal axis, the Lakers returned to their powerhouse status as they captured three back-toback NBA titles from 1999-2000 to 2001-2002. Despite winning another title together, the relationship was fractious and O’Neal eventually moved on.
Bryant spoke like he played, with bravado, desire and a persona that was unbeatable; a character trait that, despite bringing success to the Lakers, put him at odds with teammates, especially O’Neal, who had a questionable approach to pre-season preparation.
“It used to drive me crazy that he (O’Neal) was so lazy,” Bryant said. “You got to have the responsibility of working every single day. You can’t skate through s***.”
The Lakers endured a fouryear title drought, until they roped in another big man in the form of Spanish-born centre Pau Gasol to partner Bryant.
The Gasol trade proved to be another shrewd piece of business for the Lakers and they clinched two more NBA titles in 2008-2009 and 2009-2010.
Like fellow serial winner Jordan, Bryant wasn’t afraid to speak frankly about teammates, opposing players and media. The comparison didn’t end there; Bryant often played and won games for the Purple and Gold while carrying serious injuries. He was a player blessed with a mean streak, Jordanesque finesse, and the game and work ethic to back it up.
Bryant demanded that those who played with him did so to the peak of their abilities, because he held himself to the highest of standards as well. He was the ultimate clutch player.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to win games, whether it’s sitting on a bench waving a towel, handing a cup of water to a teammate, or hitting the gamewinning shot.”
At the beginning of this season, Bryant announced that it would be his last. His decision brought an outpouring of emotion and platitudes from players and fans. His final match became the hottest ticket in town with everyone wanting to catch a last glimpse of The Black Mamba in action.
And against the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center, he signed off with a 60-point performance and took his fans down memory lane with signature dribbles and fade-away jump shots, penetration drives to the rim and some three-pointers. Kobe turned off the lights like only he can.
● Lehohla is the Cape Sports Hub’s senior sub- editor and resident Basketball guru