When it’s all said and done, how will the story of Kobe Bryant be told? After what is already an illustrious career, and what seems to be a few more championship rings that hang in the balance. When it’s over, will he be viewed as a villain or as a hero? An All-Star or an All Time Great? One of the 50 or 60 greatest NBA players? Or one of the top few greatest of all time? We know he’s not Michael Jordan, but is he close?
An even more interesting yet important question to ask is, who will tell his story? His legend? Will it be the fans? Or will it be the Media? It’s obvious that basketball fans for the most part view him positively. The media on the other hand, negative! While professional sports journalists all took their shots last year at Kobe Bryant for not passing while he scored 5 straight games of 50+ points, Boston Celtic fans were busy chanting “MVP” “MVP” to a Laker!!! The year before, fans in what is considered the “Mecca of basketball”, New York City, cheered on Kobe Bryant and gave their respects to who they feel is the best in the game! The sports media world was still busy bashing Kobe Bryant for not passing enough in his 81 point performance!
Unfortunately thus far in his career, the story of Kobe Bryant has been primarily told by the negative and pessimistic media. Most of which have never really played the game of basketball, and therefore should not have too much validity in their claims. Sports greats of old days have had their stories told primarily by the fans. Think of Wilt Chamberlains 100 points in one game performance. We have no video highlight of that performance. But our best record is the picture of Wilt holding a sign with a number “100″ written on it, and the testimony of the thousands of fans who were there to witness the event in awe! I wonder if Wilt had done that today, how the sports media would have responded? They would have said, “Wilt only 1 assist”!!!
Let it be known that the Media does not need to tell the story of these great professional athletes. That goes for Kobe Bryant and for all others. We, the fans are there to witness these athletes and share stories of their great performances. The media doesn’t need to remind me when Michael Jordan hit the game winner over Byron Russel to beat the Utah Jazz in the playoffs! I REMEMBER! Or Kobe’s shot to beat the Suns in the 05-06 playoffs. I REMEMBER!
I’m tired of phony journalists and sports reporters telling the story of Kobe Bryant. We the fans should have more of a voice. We are the ones watching these athletes with a much less biased opinion! As fans, if Kobe Bryant doesn’t perform then we don’t like him! Plain and simple. But because of the way he performs night in and night out, that’s why we love him! That’s why we say he’s the best player on the planet. We don’t need the media or some “pencil neck geek” to tell us what to think about Kobe Bryant. Just because a journalist or reporter was offended by Kobe Bryant’s attitude or “cockiness” at one time, doesn’t mean I should have to listen to his or her biased hatred of Kobe Bryant! Who gives these idiots a job anyway.
This blog is all about fans telling the story of Kobe Bryant. And I am looking for anyone who is willing to share their thoughts. If any of you are interested in being an author on this blog then please contact me at chase@bestplayerontheplanet.com. Even if you are not interested in being an author, you can always share your comments. It’s best to hear from fans themselves their opinion on all subjects. Remember, you don’t have to be a Laker fan to be a Kobe Bryant fan. I have always loved the Lakers. But boy when Michael Jordan was playing he was my favorite player. I couldn’t help it. I still routed for my Lakers, but made sure to pull for old Mike at the same time. So whether you are a die hard Laker fan like me, or are a fan of another team and a fan of Kobe Bryant at the same time, this blog is here for you to tell your side of the story! Peace!
