Kobe Bean Bryant is arguably one of, if not the, greatest basketball player to ever live. Bryant racked up countless awards during his illustrious career, but the Lakers have done nothing to help him pursue that coveted sixth ring at the end of his career. They have shown nothing but disrespect for an NBA legend.
Kobe Bryant has won five NBA championships throughout his career, seven trips to the NBA Finals and two NBA Finals MVP awards. That alone has generated millions upon millions of dollars for the Los Angeles Lakers, not to mention the spotlight that has been on them for the past 16 years, in large part because of Bryant, that has allowed their franchise to flourish. Year-in and year-out, the Lakers are one of the flagship franchises, which means their cash flow is through the roof.
Kobe Bryant was the NBA MVP in 2008, the NBA scoring champion in 2006 and 2007 and was an All-NBA selection 15 times. Bryant is tied for the most All-Star Game MVP awards with four, was selected to the All-NBA Defensive team 12 times has the second highest scoring game in NBA history with 81 points, and is a 16-time NBA All-Star. This resume has Kobe a virtual lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer as soon as he becomes eligible.
The Los Angeles Lakers have done a good job of putting a talented roster on the court night in and night out. There was Shaq and Kobe, there was Kobe and Pau, and then there was the Kobe, Dwight and Nash experiment. However, there have been two notable low points during Kobe’s career: the 2004-2005 season, and the current state of the Lakers. Bryant has proven time and again that he is 100 percent loyal to the Lakers organization, choosing to resign with the Lakers after missing the playoffs during the 2004-05 season, when most thought he would bolt for the best place to win more championships, like his former teammate Shaquille O’Neal.
However, Kobe stayed because he had faith the Lakers would surround him with better talent, the talent needed to win more titles. And they did. During the 2007-08 season, the Lakers traded for Pau Gasol, which turned out to be one of the most important trades the Lakers have ever made. Bryant, along with Pau Gasol, Lamar Odom, Derek Fisher, a young and upcoming Andrew Bynum, and the zen master Phil Jackson, the Lakers were once again championship contenders. They would go on to lose to the Boston Celtics that season in the Finals, but the future was bright. The Lakers went on to win the next two NBA Championships, cementing Kobe’s legacy as an NBA legend. The Lakers once again made a big splash when they signed Steve Nash and Dwight Howard before the 2012-13 season, preparing to make another run at the title. That season ended in disaster, however, getting swept out of the first round, and losing Kobe to an achilles tear. Since then, the Lakers have seen Kobe re-injured, Howard leave for the Houston Rockets, Nash hurt his back lifting his luggage, and worst of all, the rival, city-sharing Clippers ascend into the NBA’s elite.
The Lakers did show Kobe a sign of respect, signing Bryant to a $48.5 million deal for two years, presumably the last two years of his career. But that’s the only respect they’ve showed him. They have left one of the most competitive athletes ever to step on a basketball court with almost no talent around him. The Lakers are expected to finish as one of the bottom three teams in the Western Conference this season, and next year shows no promise of change. The Lakers have let down Kobe Bryant, and are using him to sell tickets and make money.
This is not the swan song Kobe Bryant ever imagined, nor the one he deserves. Kobe Bryant has earned better than this.