For 14 years, one name has resonated among Lakers fans across the world. For 14 years one player has brought “Magic” back to the hardwood. For 14 years, Kobe Bryant has electrified the city of Los Angeles, and at the end of his career, will have left an eternal mark on the game of basketball forever.
From the moment he set foot in the league as a punk, 17-year old kid with uncapped aspirations, to June 17, 2010; when a seasoned, 31-year old veteran hopped onto the scorers’ table in celebration of his fifth NBA championship, Kobe Bryant has undeniably personified the concept of greatness. There is not an athlete in the world that tends to his or her body as meticulously and dedicatedly as Kobe does; therefore, no one truly knows how much longer he will be playing basketball. However, when Kobe does decide to hang up his Nikes for good, he will forever be a player that inspires adults and coaches to tell their children and players, “I got to see Kobe Bryant play the game of basketball, and there will never be another player like him.” His presence on the court will vanish one day, but the memory of him will forever be instilled in the minds of basketball fans worldwide. His jersey(s) will unquestionably be raised up into the rafters of Staples Center; and in due time, it’s highly anticipated that the memories of Kobe Bryant will be cemented into a statue that sits alongside fellow Laker greats Magic Johnson and Chick Hearn.
With only one memory, one pose – one moment of Kobe’s able to be portrayed in a statue, deciding which one to capture is quite a difficult task when your dealing with someone who has done as much as Kobe. However, Lakers Nation asked its Facebook fans what moment of Kobe’s they think should be immortalized in his impending statue. Of the 68 responses received, here are the top eight ideas (in order) for which Kobe Bryant moment should be forever frozen in Lakers’ history.
Next: No. 8 – Baptizing Superman Baptizing Superman Rewind time back to Nov. 12, 2004. Kobe is still wearing No. 8 and the Lakers are in the midst of one of their worst seasons in franchise history. It’s a road game against the Orlando Magic and an 18-year old rookie named Dwight Howard is about to get his first lesson in Posterization 101. Trailing 82-74 in the middle of the third quarter, Kobe Bryant, who was nursing a nagging foot injury at the time, splits two defenders on the perimeter and has a clear path to the basket. However, Howard, being the great help defender and shot blocker that he is, quickly steps over. Unfortunately for him, he couldn’t jump high enough to block the slam Kobe was about to throw down on him.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvDtBZI0sNs
For the first time ever being dunked on, Howard seemed to be humbled by the unfamiliar experience, as Kobe nearly completely jumped over the six-foot-11 Howard, while still putting down the slam. Is this the greatest moment in Kobe’s legacy? No. But it was one of those moments where you had to jump out of your seat and proceed to point and yell at the TV for the next five minutes. A fine moment for any sports fan. It would be an amazing piece of art to see Kobe’s decimation of Howard in statue-form; however, it’s hard to imagine Buss using a moment from one of the most frustrating seasons in Laker history as the sole memory of Kobe Bryant. Too many bad memories.
Regardless, it was definitely a moment uneasily forgotten in the minds of Lakers fans. Shout out to Christopher Douggie Douglas, Kennon Keith and Brian Coleman for suggesting this idea on the Lakers Nation’s Facebook page!
Next: No. 7 – “Runway Eight, You Are Cleared For Take Off” The “Airplane” is not a ferocious dunk, an impossible shot or a championship celebration. Instead, it’s an action that a player does following a spectacular play. It symbolizes the fact that he is soaring above everyone else in terms of greatness, and is playing at a level so high, that only a few people will ever come close to touching him.
It’s not an often action displayed by Kobe; however, the idea of it is truly representative of the player Kobe has come to be, which is one of the NBAs all-time greats. His desire to be the best is truly epitomized by “The Airplane”.
As Kobe continues to reach greater and greater heights as an NBA player, it has become more and more apparent that he is playing on a level only known by a select few players. Is he better than Jordan? That’s debatable. Is he one of the greatest players to ever touch a basketball? Absolutely.
Shout out to Kennon Keith for suggesting this idea on the Lakers Nation’s Facebook page!
Next: No. 6 One, Two, Three, Four, Five…Six?
In June of 2011, Kobe might have the opportunity to achieve one of the most anticipated milestones of his illustrious career – reaching even ground with Michael Jordan in the championship race. Having drawn so many comparisons to the largely acclaimed Greatest of All-Time, accomplishing this feat would easily be one of the most paramount moments of Kobe’s career.
Throughout his 14 years in the league, Kobe has played on some amazing teams, and he has been right near the top of every single one. From his first three-peat with Shaquille O’Neal to his current championship run with Pau Gasol, Kobe has not only established himself as an unparalleled talent, but as a tremendous leader and player. Tying Jordan in terms of championships won would be more than outstanding for Kobe. He is one of the hardest working and most determined players of all-time. That, paired with his high basketball IQ and prodigious amount of talent, it’s not surprising that Kobe has accomplished as much as he has since being drafted out of high school.
Even if Kobe goes on to win more than six championships in his career, whatever his reaction is to that sixth title, will be so memorable and iconic, that one would be hard pressed to conceive a more Kobe-esqe moment to immortalize forever. Until that happens, however, this is merely a “what if.”
Nevertheless, the Lakers have a very good opportunity to be celebrating in June for the third consecutive season, and if they are, expect to see this idea move closer to the number one spot. Shout out to Benjamin Michael Ortiz, Emmanuel Johnson, Justin Hudson and Michael Bush for suggesting this idea on the Lakers Nation’s Facebook page!
Next: No. 5 – Silencing the Haters From the day he decided to skip college and make the leap to the NBA to his trade demands following the 2007 NBA Playoffs, a great deal of controversy and criticism has surrounded Kobe throughout his career. Heightened in 2004 during his sexual assault allegations, Kobe Bryant has been one of the most scrutinized athletes of the last decade.
He’s been called a bad leader; a ball hog; a cancer to his team. There’s no doubt Kobe suffered from an immature personality for the first half of his career. However, in 2008, when everything truly came full circle for him, he didn’t have to put his finger to his lips to silence the haters, his play and matured mentality did it for him.
Although the silencing gesture Kobe has often made throughout his career represents a period of his career where he was still finding himself as a basketball player. While that may not capture the highest moment in his career, it represents how much Kobe has overcome in his 14 years as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Shout out to Vincent Dunn for suggesting this idea on the Lakers Nation’s Facebook page!
Next: No. 4 – Game Seven
Whether imposed in a statue or not, the moment the final buzzer of the 2010 NBA Finals sounded will be apart of Lakers history forever. It wasn’t just a regular championship victory – it was the sweetest one imaginable, as it was a game seven victory over the Lakers longtime rival Boston Celtics.
As the waning moments of the game neared, and it became clearer and clearer that Kobe would be receiving his fifth championship title very soon. And upon their victory, Kobe found himself on top of the Staples Center scorers table, celebrating with a passion and enjoyment that did not exist in his mentality during the NBA Finals. It was the one thing Kobe HAD to do if he wanted any shot at becoming the greatest Laker of all-time, and that was taking down the Celtics in the NBA Finals.
Although still present in very recent memory, the image of Kobe standing on that table, facing the crowd, has quickly become one of the most iconic images in Lakers’ history. Shout out to John Equihua, Jerry Banuelos, J.L. Regalado and Chris Avila for suggesting this idea on the Lakers Nation’s Facebook page!
Next: 81 Points When the Lakers squared off with the Raptors on Jan. 22, 2006, the Lakers were a slightly above average team and the Raptors were even worse. With that being said, the game wasn’t going to be a hot ticket, and as the game tipped off, the prospects of it going down as an NBA classic were slim to none. Those chances got even worse when the Raptors took the lead on the Lakers and it appeared the Lakers were going to suffer another disappointing loss. Man, whoever said that was sure wrong, as Kobe Bryant erupted for a 55-point second half en route to an 81-point game, the second highest offensive outing for any one player in NBA history. Every jumper, drunk, free throw and 3-pointer Kobe sank that night seemed like the easiest thing in the world for the Black Mamba, who single handedly, decimated the entire Raptors defense.
This game may have occured during the down years of the 2000s, however, the moment Kobe stepped off of the court and pointed to the crowd, a mental picture was created in the mind’s of not only Laker fans, but anyone who had witnessed the game. It was easily one of the most incredible offensive showcases in NBA history, and whoever saw it, knew that they had just seen a masterpiece worthy of a Michelangelo painting.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeXZY4eVLlo
The moment is easily one of the most recognizable in NBA history and it will forever be enshrined in the minds of Lakers fans everywhere. Shout out to Carl Behrent, Jeron Bostic, Ralph Briseno, Jorge Cotero, Alex Sanchez and James Case for suggesting this idea on the Lakers Nation’s Facebook page!
Next: The Most Feared Face In Sports Everyone knows that Kobe Bryant is one of the most talented players of all time; that he is one of the hardest working players to ever set foot inside the gym; that he possesses one of the most varied offensive arsenals in league history and that he is one of the most well-rounded players ever.
However, what sets Kobe Bryant away from the rest of the pack and what puts him in the same waters as Michael Jordan, was not listed above. What makes Kobe the fantastic player that he is, is his killer instinct. The simple fact that he is capable of stabbing his opponent in the chest and not blinking, displays a quality only held by very few athletes.
Possessing that quality is what makes an athlete the best. It makes Kobe an assassin, who seeks first blood in every game he plays.
It’s difficult to capture this aspect of Kobe’s game, as doesn’t come in the form of a shot, celebration stance or really anything one would expect from a basketball player. However, Kobe being the uncanny human being that he is, has found a way to do that as well. And the face that he makes when he is in kill-mode has been personified with the scariest face in sports.
Next: The Most Deadly Move In Sports
Unstoppable; Impeccable; Unguardable. Easily one of the most deadly moves to ever be used in sports. More deadly than Kareem’s patented “Sky Hook” or Allen Iverson’s killer crossover, Kobe’s fadeaway jumper has become the most indefensible
basketball weapon.
httpvhd://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PFBhUvcNec
He can alter it to use it in any situation, allowing him to score almost at will at any given moment. Nearly all six of his game-winning shots in 2010 came off his his unparalleled move.
No matter what people say, at the end of the day, Kobe’s fadeaway jumper will never be stopped. It is just the perfect combination of skill, elusiveness and athleticism, which allows him to get it off with a good chance of going in at almost any moment.