As the dunk slammed into the hoop, it happened; the lights went out, the fireworks exploded, the confetti rained down onto the arena, the galaxy aligned, and our solar system illuminated under the greatness. Kobe Bryant scored point 25,208 and officially passed the logo and all other Lakers on the Lakers’ all time scoring list. For those not in the know, the logo is Jerry West aka Mr. Clutch, he has the distinction to be the only player in NBA history to ever be named the Finals MVP on the losing team because he was that great a scorer especially in the final moments. So to reiterate, Kobe "The Black Mamba" Bryant just surmounted all former greats atop the Lakers scoring list.
So now that Kobe is the top scorer in Laker history, where does he rank on the list of of one of the most successful franchises in all of sports? Kobe has numerous accomplishments to his resume; 4 championship rings, finals MVP, NBA MVP, youngest to reach 25,000 points scored, baptizing Dwight Howard (see video above), and his greatest individual achievement of 81 points (second most all time only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points) to name a few. So let's meet Kobe’s main competition shall we?
So now that Kobe is the top scorer in Laker history, where does he rank on the list of of one of the most successful franchises in all of sports? Kobe has numerous accomplishments to his resume; 4 championship rings, finals MVP, NBA MVP, youngest to reach 25,000 points scored, baptizing Dwight Howard (see video above), and his greatest individual achievement of 81 points (second most all time only to Wilt Chamberlain's 100 points) to name a few. So let's meet Kobe’s main competition shall we?
First up, we’ll start with Kobe’s 
long time partner in crime, Shaquille O’Neal. Surely Shaq was a beast and it’s a bit hard to say at this point that Kobe is the better player overall, but Shaq only donned the uniform for eight years as opposed to the 12 that Kobe currently checks in at. #24 (Kobe) also has made the all defensive team 7 times to Shaqs 0 times. Next we have Kareem Abdul Jabar, another big man. Kareem has many accomplishments on his resume; it definitely trumps that of Kobe’s. But as a Laker, their accomplishments are much more comparable and when looking at the higher level of competition that Kobe has had to face in this era along with his wider skill range and higher level of excitability, Kobe surpasses the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar… because let’s face it, L.A. is all about the flash and that’s just something that even the greatest of big men, can’t compare to the elite guards at displaying.
long time partner in crime, Shaquille O’Neal. Surely Shaq was a beast and it’s a bit hard to say at this point that Kobe is the better player overall, but Shaq only donned the uniform for eight years as opposed to the 12 that Kobe currently checks in at. #24 (Kobe) also has made the all defensive team 7 times to Shaqs 0 times. Next we have Kareem Abdul Jabar, another big man. Kareem has many accomplishments on his resume; it definitely trumps that of Kobe’s. But as a Laker, their accomplishments are much more comparable and when looking at the higher level of competition that Kobe has had to face in this era along with his wider skill range and higher level of excitability, Kobe surpasses the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar… because let’s face it, L.A. is all about the flash and that’s just something that even the greatest of big men, can’t compare to the elite guards at displaying.
Our trip through Lakers’ greatness takes us back to Jerry West. I won’t beat around the bush here. Kobe is a better Laker than West. West hasn’t the career accomplishments nor the statistical success to beat Kobe in any argument. Furthermore just as Kobe has to take the blame for being a part of the reason for that Championship Lakers team disbanding, so should Jerry West take blame in his Lakers team losing 8 times in the NBA Finals.The last and final contender to Kobe as the greatest Lakers ever is Magic, Earvin Johnson. Earvin came into the league as a beast, leading the Lakers to a finals win and attaining Finals MVP, as a rookie. Magic went onto win 4 more championships, 2 more Finals MVPs, and 3 NBA MVP awards. His stats are also pretty sick after averaging over 19 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds for his career. So Magic is definitely highly formidable.
Surely a heavyweight battle between Kobe and Magic for the #1 spot on the Lakers all time list, but even my bias for Kobe allows me to realize that the answer is simple and my Final Fantasy FINALLY has reached its endgame. Magic Johnson revolutionized the way the NBA was played probably more than any other player and was the architect of Showtime. LA loves a show, they love their blockbusters… and no player, not even Kobe, has ever been able to give them more of that then Magic Johnson. And if that isn’t enough to convince the Kobe fangirls and fanboys bigger than I of this order then factor in the fact that Magic was essentially kicked out of the NBA by his peers while in his prime for fear of them contracting HIV from him, and what you realize is that what Magic could have accomplished likely would have been much more. Sorry Kobe you’re only #2 on my list and that’s my Final Fantasy… until next time.
0 comments:
Post a Comment