Even earlier this season, budding superstar Luka Doncic was preparing to throw an inbounds pass when he heard someone courtside speaking Slovenian.
Turning around expecting to see a countryman, there was Kobe, beaming back at him. The ensuing dap from the last Mamba to one of the new ones was a beautiful passing-of-the-torch moment. Kobe is named after a Japanese steak seriously , but it was in China that Bryant's international flavour became most evident and important. Kobe was one of the first American NBA players who was "big in China", to the point that when the Redeem Team travelled to Beijing for the Olympics in his MVP year , the Americans had support from the locals as well as the travelling stars and stripes brigade.
Bryant was at the centre of former NBA commissioner David Stern's who also died earlier this month plan to grow the game into a global force.
And while the NBA's connection to China saw it run headlong into an international incident last year , from a purely basketball perspective, China has been a gateway to the rest of the world for the NBA. While LeBron James is synonymous with Cleveland, and Jordan is impossible to separate from Chicago or North Carolina, for you college fans , Bryant doesn't belong to any one place.
LA can claim him because he spent his entire professional career there. Philadelphia is where he was born and went to school. His love of the game flourished in Italy.
Bryant was a one-man wrecking crew. For his most successful seasons, he was always part of a tandem, but that was just for the first 47 minutes of a game. Come the 48th — winning time — it was Kobe's ball and everyone else could get out of the way. In the years between Shaquille O'Neal's departure and Pau Gasol's arrival, Bryant famously had some dodgy rosters around him, and that was where the legend of 'Mamba Mentality' really flourished.
Kobe gave himself the nickname of Black Mamba for the snake's ability to "strike with 99 per cent accuracy at maximum speed, in rapid succession". No doubt, giving yourself a nickname is corny as hell, but the Mamba of it all has taken on a life of its own.
It could be maddening to watch your teammate score 81 of points in a team sport, as Kobe did against the Raptors in It could be maddening to watch someone so self-possessed and so focused on winning to the point that they will slap at a teammate's broken thumb at practice because they think that player is just slacking, as Kobe did to Nick Young during scrimmage.
Hell, it might even be exhausting to watch someone take 50 shots to score 60 points, as Kobe did in the last game of his career. But when the result is five championships, an MVP, two scoring titles, 18 all-star appearances, 15 all-NBA nods, 12 all-defence berths, the fourth-most points in NBA history and an unprecedented two jerseys retired by one team, it's hard to argue against that sort of single-minded, albeit exhausting, approach.
And that's why this generation of NBA stars look to Kobe for inspiration. In a league where so many people are buddies, finding that killer instinct can be tough, but it never was for the Mamba. Doncic, Trae Young, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum — they all embody the idea of Mamba Mentality: the idea that while they have the ball in the 94 feet between baselines, they are untouchable. And as that next generation uses the league as their playground, Bryant's legacy will never be gone.
Imagine if Kobe decided to join forces with other superstars to form a superteam of his own, how many would he have won? Kobe's killer instinct and flawless skill set would make him the best player on any superteam he formed.
When compared to LeBron James, his greatest rival in the modern era, Kobe's 5 rings for the Lakers stand out more. He never left his team, sticking through it even when Shaq was traded. All he needed was a big man to help him rebound and defend with an inside presence, and he won two more. LeBron actually formed a powerhouse superteam with Dwayne Wade a top-three player at that time and Chris Bosh.
If Kobe teamed up with Garnett or Nowitzki, Kobe would certainly have many more rings. Michael Jordan had Scottie Pippen to form the best defensive duo in history. But Kobe had Shaq for 4 years but was left to find his way after Shaq was traded. He managed to have Pau Gasol, a great player but not close to the likes of Wade and Pippen. MJ had the luxury of playing with Pippen throughout his career en route to 6 titles.
Of course, Magic always had a great team with Kareem and Worthy. Here is why Kobe is the best basketball player ever…. First, we will consider the great Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls basketball team. Well, although Michael Air Jordan was clutch and won six championships in the s, he had Scottie Pippen at his side. Without Scottie Pippen, Jordan would not have won any of his championships. Anyone following basketball during the Jordan-Pippen era in Chicago can attest to that fact.
However, Kobe has shown that he can do it all without any other superstar player helping him. Kobe substantiated that notion by winning the NBA Title with nothing but role players, no superstars.
Kobe had other role players other than Ariza of course, but none with the talent of Scottie Pippen, like Jordan had. Another very important fact during the Michael Jordan Era in Chicago was that Jordan got all the calls from the referees. Many times playing against the New York Knicks Jordan got the benefit of cheap foul calls against the Knicks. If the Knicks breathed too hard on him, the refs would blow their whistles.
We are not taking anything away from Jordan. He was brilliant. However, he is not better than Kobe. Do we remember when Jordan was a terrible outside jump shooter before he became very good, later in his career?
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