Kobe Bryant's career now seems complete, at least to a degree. He's got scoring titles, he's got his "own championship," and he's locked his place in history as the "greatest player of his era" (I'm firmly on board with Tim Varner's notion that he and LeBron James belong in different time zones, if you will.) And since Mamba got a title sans Diesel, he's been remarkably enjoyable -- and honest -- in the public eye. His appearance with Conan O'Brien was excellent, and now, via a sneak peek of his upcoming interview with the FOX Business Network, FanHouse found out that this honesty policy won't be changing; Kobe's candid discussion of Shaquille O'Neal and Michael Jackson are on tap for this evening.
Bryant's discussion about the King of Pop wasn't surprising: he's previously mentioned that MJ influenced his career, but he emphasized with FOX just how much Jackson's work ethic influenced him.
"I think that what people don't know about Michael was the amount of time he put into bringing so much joy to people all over the world," Bryant said. "I mean, it wasn't like, you know, he'd wake up one night and think of 'Billie Jean' and go in the studio and it's voila. I mean, he put in a lot of time, man. A lot of sacrifices were made for him to bring so much joy to so many people around the world."
It seems like somewhat of a cliche, I suppose, but it's true -- and while Bryant might not be bringing "joy" to people "all over the world" he at least made millions of
"It wasn't even whether or not I could win one without him. It's people saying that I can't win one without him. And I use that as fuel, as motivation to push me and push me until we eventually won it."
See that world? I knew it! Okay, that doesn't make me smarter than anyone else, because everyone knew it, no matter what Kobe said about the situation and whether we actually thought he would ever admit it ... but he did. And it turns out that his legacy was always going to be affected by whether or not he won the title without Shaq, even if it didn't matter because of the greatness he produced on the court this year. And frankly, it's kind of enjoyable to hear him finally admit it.
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Kobe is to Lebron as Michael Jordan was to Kobe as Oscar Robertson was to Michael Jordan. In 5 years there will be some amazing athlete challenging Lebron for greatness. That's how it is in sports.
Will, to a Laker fan you come off as a tool.
That may not be the case but it sure seems like it from this particular post.
Kobe (1 titles as best player on his team) is the best player if you do not count Tim Duncan (4 titles as best player on team) or Shaq (3 titles as best player on team).
THe Admiral was the best player on the team for his first one.
and if you forgot, Tony Parker won the finals MVP for his last one
Would you sports writers PLEASE stop refering to this year's championship as "his own" and saying he "did it by himself" without Shaq. Every true fan of basketball knows the talent overall on that team is head and shoulders above every other team in the league. Its straight up not even fair. There is almost more overall talent in the starting 5 (if you count Odom) in this past year's team then the teams that won 3 in a row. Bryant, Gasol, Odom, Fisher(i think everyone has forgotten he was a VERY important player when he was on a lesser team in Golden State and Utah), Ariza, and Bynum. You have to stop saying he did it on his own, if you wanna see what Kobe did before all that talent when he was "on his own" look at the 3 year strech where they got bounced in the 1st round twice and didnt even make the playoffs one year. Gasol is not a no-body, if you give Lebron,Wade,Anthony, etc. Gasol they will cruise through the playoffs. Its ridiculous he couldnt win it last year with that talent. This was not HIs championship , it was him, Gasol, and Odoms ....
If you want an example of someone who..
... won HIS OWN championships look to a guy like MJ. I still would pay to see Jordan's reaction when that Gasol illegal trade went down (you cant tell me that wasnt an under the table deal), MJ had to lose it. If he had had that ridiculous amount of talent that Kobe does right now he might have challenged Russell's record of 11 , and thats including goin to play baseball mid prime lol....
... won HIS OWN championships look to a guy like MJ. I still would pay to see Jordan's reaction when that Gasol illegal trade went down (you cant tell me that wasnt an under the table deal), MJ had to lose it. If he had had that ridiculous amount of talent that Kobe does right now he might have challenged Russell's record of 11 , and thats including goin to play baseball mid prime lol....
False, I know you have the internet, so this shouldn't be that hard.
In 1998-99 when the Spurs won their first title, Tim Duncan was first team all-nba offense and defense and averaged 22 points and 11.5 rebounds. Robinson did not even make third team all-nba or either all defensive team and averaged 18 and 10.
In 2007, when Parker won the NBA finals MVP, Duncan averaged 20 and 10.5 for the season and was All-NBA first team. Parker averaged 18.6 and 5.5 assists and was All-NBA third team. Also, who cares if Parker was the NBA finals MVP? The series was a 4-0 sweep. They probably could have won that series without Parker all together.
Sports comment is like an evening at the bar, everybody is saying something, drunks think their incoherent babble is wisdom. The bartender does not care one way or another, as long as you keep tipping. Tomorrow the bar will be open again and a whole new set of wise men will convene to share their worthless opinions with strangers.
cantstopdrinkin,
hahahahaha. I love you man. MJ had nobody. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHa. Pippen, top 50 player all-time and perhaps the second best player during the MJ era. Dennis Rodman, greatest rebounding power forward of all time. Steve Kerr, top 3 all-time in three point field goal percentage. Ron Harper, BJ Armstrong, Horace Grant, Toni Kukoc, etc. etc. MJ won with nobody. HHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAA. Always good for a laugh cantstopdrinkin. Not a single intelligent thing to say, but always good for a laugh. Kinda like Bill Simmons...bias and all.
dodgerbloo, it sounds like you should probably "stopdrinkin" if you think Pippen was the 2nd best player anywhere but in Chicago. Ever hear of Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing? They don't have rings but they were certainly better than Pippen. Does David Robinson ring any bells? Rodman, best rebounding forward of "all time" ??? Does your "all time" go back any further than 1985? Paul Silas was better, so was Bob Petit and Kevin MacHale.
dodger, pippen developed alongside jordan. pippen got to practice everyday against a great player and motivator, and that definitely helped shape him into who he is. can't say that much for kobe's cast. who the freaking heck did kobe help develop? nobody, thats who. coz kobe was and always will be all about himself.
I don't understand why with Jordan it's always one way. Jordan made everyone better. But with Kobe, it's, everybody else around him is good that's why Kobe has done what he's done.
Scottie Pippen made the all-defensive first team 8 years in a row and was and still is, arguably the finest defensive small forward the league has ever seen. He finished 3rd in MVP voting when MJ didn't play. He could facilitate and score. He could do everything. You find me another player in NBA history who averaged 22 points, 8 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 3 steals and a block on 48 percent shooting who also was a first-team all defensive selection and led the league in steals. Good luck, cuz there isn't anybody.
Pippen, one of a kind.
Scratch that. Jordan did it. He's the only other player. As for who has Kobe Bryant developed? Who hasn't he "developed?" Let's start at the top. Shaq had his best year's playing with Kobe. That's a fact. Kobe's had better years without Shaq. Also fact. Pau Gasol was a one time all-star (in a weak year for forwards) who was shooting around 52 percent as the focal point of the Memphis Grizzlies. Playing with Kobe he made the all-star team in a strong year for forwards and has been shooting 57 percent over the past one and a half seasons. Lamar Odom has enjoyed his best, most consistent seasons playing with Kobe. Brian Cook averaged career-highs in every major statistical category including points (7.9), field goal percentage (.511) and three-point field goal percentage (.429). Kwame Brown had two passable years playing with Kobe. Smush Parker went from third string point guard to 13-points a game playing with #24 to out of the league entirely once he left the Lakers. Sasha Vujacic signed for $5.5 million per playing with Kobe. Andrew Bynum is looked at as the next Kareem by some of you (cantstopdrinkin) thanks to playing with Kobe. Ronny Turiaf had his two best seasons (in terms of PER and WS) playing with Kobe. Shannon Brown, Chucky Atkins (had a career season), Vladimir Radmanovic (shot career bests in both FG and 3pt percentage), shall I go on?
If you check down below, I've already mentioned that STeve Kerr, B.J. Armstrong and Horace Grant all had their best seasons when Jordan was on his baseball sabbatical. Tell me who else Jordan made better? He certainly didn't make Kwame Brown or Jerry Stackhouse better.
Thank you themovingscreen . Dodgerbloo i hope that one day you really understand the game you try to talk about on a public forum. PLEASE tell me what all those players did when they didnt have Jordan on the team??? Yes i know Pippen was a great player. All those other players would not be known if not for playing next to Jordan. The point i was making was Kobe has 3 "Pippens" on his team. Think what Jordan would have done with an All Star top 3 centers in the league, another All Star caliber player 6'10" swingman like Odom, hell Jordan didnt even have a center like Bynum and he's only about 75% developed, Ariza is a lesser talented younger "Pippen" like player, and Derek Fisher has a more all around game then Kerr and hits clutch 3's just like him. Some of you just dont understand the fundamental talents their bigs have and the understanding of the ACTUAL GAME of basketball they have. Plus the combination of length and athletism the team has.
And then of course dont even get me started on how he won his first 3 rings. lol.
Yes he had Rodman and Pippen for 3 rings but the first three he only had a young Pippen. Stop laughing and go learn about the how the GAME is played guy. Jordan won 3 with only on legit sidekick, Kobe has 3 legit ones and he has been killed in a Finals and barely got to the other (a Houston team with no Yao or Tracy took them to 7 ??!!! would NEVER have happened with Jordan and 3 all stars lol now that makes me laugh as hard as you did).....
I know this has pretty much turned into a Jordan vs. Kobe debate and thats not what i wanted. I just wanted to make the point that all these sportswriters sound ridiculous saying Kobe did it by himself, like he propelled a bunch of scrubs to the 'Ship. Thats not so, he couldnt even get out the first round before he got Gasol. The guy has done NOTHING without an All Star center and that is non-arguable FACT. Another FACT is that Jordan NEVER had an allstar center and won 6 rings. Please argue with that dodgerbloo
dodgerbloo - "Pippen, top 50 player all-time and perhaps the second best player during the MJ era."
FUNNIEST THING EVER ON AOL SPORTS COMMENTS!! lol, hahahahaha. You hear that everyone , Pippen is better then Isiah Thomas, Hakeem, and Karl Malone. I'd be hard pressed to even put him past Charles, David Robinson, and even maybe Drexler. Wow man , wow.
And also that 50 greatest list was made 14 years ago. I wouldnt say he's been bumped off yet but he has definetly been bumped down some. And this is one of the few things ill say thats not a FACT because its an "if" thing , but if Pippen hadnt played with Jordan he wouldnt even be on that list. Scottie never even got out of the second round without Jordan on his side....
the jordan era had the weakest amount of talent in NBA history. the bulls wouldn't have had the same amount of success in THIS league. LAKERS #1!!! Enough said.
For all the people on here who are trying to tell me that Pippen was nothing, he took the same cast, sans Michael Jordan to within a game of the Eastern Conference Finals. So, either he was super dope, or that Bulls team, sans Jordan was dope. Either way, you are all crazy if you think that the Bulls were only great because of Jordan.
Rich, as for Barkley, he was playing with 3-time all-star Kevin Johnson and Malone played with a top 3-point guard of all-time in John Stockton. And again, if you think Ewing is better than Pippen, you're cracked in the head.
Also, Paul Silas was better than Rodman at rebounding? Where do you get this from? Dennis Rodman averaged for his career 13 boards. Silas best season was 12.7. Bob Pettit played in the 50s. If you're going to tell me that basketball players were better in the 50s then they were in the 90s, then there's no point in talking with you. I'm not even going to respond to Kevin Mchale, who never once in his career averaged even double figures in boards.
For seven consecutive years, Rodman averaged at least 15 boards a game with two seasons over 18. That's incredible. I'll say it again. Best ever rebounding power forward.
Cantstopdrinkin, you say Kobe is playing with a cast of all-stars. How many of these supposed all-stars have actually been all-stars? Pau Gasol did it once before Kobe and once with Kobe. Odom has never been an all-star. Bynum has never played 60 games in a season let alone been an all-star. Fisher's never been an all-star. And Ariza was tossed around three different teams before he was given the opportunity to bust wide open threes that Kobe helped teach him how to shoot http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bryant-ariza-gasol-2464110-lakers-jackson
Fisher is a career 37 percent three point shooter who topped out at 42 percent seven years ago. Steve Kerr is a career 45 percent three point shooter who had his career best shooting season playing with Pippen when Jordan only suited up for 17 games.
Fact, Jordan never won any rings without Pippen. Fact, Jordan never even got out of the first round without Pippen. Fact, Pippen was within a game of the Eastern Conference Finals without Jordan. Fact, Pippen helped the Portland Trailblazers reach the Western Conference Finals, again, without Jordan.
It's funny that you guys come on here and tell me I need to watch basketball and that I have no idea what I'm talking about and then write this stuff you've written that is based purely on conjecture.
If you want to tell me about not playing with anybody, try playing with Luke Walton, Smush Parker, Kwame Brown and Lamar Odom/Brian Cook as your starters. Now that's nothing. Parker is trying to play in China (trying being key), Cook is a 12th man. Kwame, is well, Kwame. And Walton is coming off the bench playing 12 minutes a game.
That's a horrible team right? And Kobe took them seven games deep into the playoffs against the second best team in the league (the Suns). If Kwame could have just grabbed one rebound, the Lakers would have moved on to the second round. But they didn't and that's history. Factual history. Look into it some time.
Here's one more fact for you all. B.J. Armstrong and Horace Grant became all-stars playing with Pippen during the season and a half MJ was playing baseball. Again, they either were really good or Pippen was so damn dope, that he elevated their game. Either way, ur argument doesn't hold.