Fourteen games into the season and he is already taking the league by storm.
Fourteen games into the season and people consider him the front-runner for the MVP.
Fourteen games into the season and Kobe Bryant is proving all his doubters wrong.
This is not unprecedented, as Kobe as been dealing with critics throughout his career. First he couldn’t work with Shaquille O’Neal, he won three rings. Then he couldn’t win without Shaq, he racked up two more titles. Now they say his age and injuries will slow him down.
ESPN came out with a ranking of the best players in the NBA, and Kobe was placed in the seventh position. Although he never came out and said anything about it, showing the world that he is still the greatest just made success that much sweeter.
It is fair to say that whoever wrote those rankings must be scratching head and wondering, ‘how in the world did I put that guy at seven?’
Certain people cannot accept the fact that outside distractions and injuries have failed to affect Kobe’s game. Bryant dropped 40+ points in a game which directly followed his court hearing in Colorado. People seem to forget that Kobe severely injured his right index finger only to come back and help the Lakers to a victory with essentially one hand.
There was also the time when Kobe dealt with various knee injuries and had to get it drained just to walk on the floor. Even with the lingering injury, Kobe helped the Lakers to championships and brought them to the playoffs.
And now Kobe Bryant is facing critics who claim that age and his wrist injury will slow him down and eventually lead to a changing of the guard in the Western Conference. Oh, and how can we forget about the early-season thoughts that the loss of Lamar Odom would ruin any chance of the Lakers winning another championship. And of course there are the people who believe Kobe cannot win without Phil Jackson, and that he would not be able to play under Mike Brown.
It is safe to say that Kobe has not just answered the critics throughout his career, but he has straight up embarrassed them.
Next Page: Critics have nothing to argue