Realizations

History in the Making

I’m going to come right out and say it. Kobe Bryant is the second greatest basketball player of all time. Now, for all you people that hate comparing the past to the present please go back to your Sudoku puzzle, your morning coffee or maybe even do some work before your boss walks by your cubicle.

When Kobe first came into the league, I hated him without even watching him play. The reason was simple. The comparisons to Mr. Air had already started. In my mind there would never be another player who would come close to that level. It was mainly because I didn’t want it to happen. I know now that I was foolish. I should have wanted there to be a player to come along and even enter the same discussion as MJ. Why? Because it keeps the legacy alive.

I remember growing up watching old basketball footage with my dad, mostly of Pete Maravich. My dad tried so hard to get through to me that this scrawny kid from LSU was really one of the greatest who had ever lived. But how could he be? He didn’t dunk, he didn’t stick his tongue out and he didn’t have a cool logo that was draped all over my clothes. Now that I’m older, I can’t imagine how many times my dad cringed and shivered every time he would mention Pistol Pete and I brushed him off like he was an out of shape old timer playing ball at the local YMCA.

My point is this…the debates will never end. When I’m in my 50’s, the NBA’s target audience will know who Michael Jordan was, but their perspective will not be the same. As time passes we tend to forget how good players of any sport actually were during their prime, especially if we weren’t around to witness it first hand.

I’m going to take a stand! I’m not going to let my stubborn opinion towards Jordan effect the way I look at Kobe. We are so hesitant to acknowledge greatness more than once. I will say that again… we are so hesitant to acknowledge greatness more than once (I said that twice for those scoring at home). If we witness something great, nothing else can ever top it. That is ridiculous and we are doing ourselves an injustice.

Unfortunately for Bryant, the Colorado incident forced would-be fans to toss him in the trash with the rest of the “thug infested” NBA. Not that it matters. They are the same fans who would support the NFL whole heartedly, when if you compared arrest and crime records between the two leagues, the NFL takes the cake and it’s not close. If you want to pass on the NBA because it’s not the same as it used to be… that’s perfectly fine and understandable, but you are missing out.

There is no better finisher, there is no better closer and more recently, there is no better leader in the NBA than Kobe Bryant. Greatness is greatness. Still skeptical? Who, in the history of the league, would you want taking the last shot for your team with the game on the line? If there is more than one name on your list before you get to number 24, again, stick with Sudoku. Make all of the LeBron comments you want, but until he proves he has the capability to knock down more open 15 footers than that out of shape old timer at the YMCA, I’m not buying it.