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Bryant embarks on farewell season

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Basketball is unlike football or baseball, where various units make up the whole.

Basketball is a sport where one superstar player, surrounded by the right supporting cast, can win championships. That one superstar can be the driving factor to being great, or simply being a footnote in history.

In a sport where individual stars can make a team a title contender, Bryant reigned supreme over his generation. He had what some viewed as a crazed drive to become the best. As he put it in his retirement letter in The Players’ Tribune, the Philadelphia native said he loved the game obsessively. Known as an “assassin,”  he was not only unafraid to put his reputation on the line in the biggest moments; he seemed to revel in it.

Bryant may have been more hated than loved, since heated debates were constant throughout his 20-year career about him being a poor teammate, a ball hog, and a selfish player, but he never appeared to care what people thought. He stayed on a course that made him a villain to many.

Bryant was selfish. He was a ball hog. He was egotistic. He was arrogant. He was a bad teammate. Yet that was exactly what the Lakers needed to win five championships in seven NBA Finals appearances over the past 20 years.

In Bryant’s case, it seems the ends justify the means. A kinder, gentler Bryant may not have had the success he did. In 2000, the Lakers more than likely would have still be in search of their first championship since the Magic Johnson/Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s Showtime era.

If he was a villain, he was the villain that the Lakers needed. Without him playing that role, even within his own team, the Lakers would have five less championships.

Shaquille O’Neal receives more credit for the first three championships that the Lakers won in this era. While O’Neal dominated the league at the low post, Bryant dominated from the high post. Whether it was hitting “circus” jump shots or driving to the basket, Bryant was an unstoppable force that lit up the league.

While O’Neal was the lovable big guy, Bryant could be considered as the perfect complement, because he was the exact opposite. O’Neal created a loose atmosphere that built team camaraderie, Bryant provided an uneasy tension to give the team a championship edge.

Bryant never hid his drive to be great, even when it rubbed teammates and fans the wrong way. Some contend that drive led him to become one of the greatest NBA players ever, and added additional chapters to Lakers’ lore.

While opposites attract, a combination that initially led the O’Neal/Bryant era to three championships, opposites ultimately repel, which led to their nasty breakup.

The next chapter of Bryant’s career set him on a path to prove that he could be great as a solo act; that he did not need O’Neal to win titles. This would rightfully put him among the NBA greats. This is when he had to entrench himself in the villain role, because he now had to carry the team squarely on his own shoulders, instead of having another great player by his side.

Bryant’s new cast of characters included Pau Gasol, who was considered soft; Lamar Odom, who did not have an aggressive nature; and Andrew Bynum, who seemed indifferent about playing at times.

This Lakers team had talent, size, and veteran leadership. But it took Bryant’s drive and determination to get the most out of his supporting cast. It has been said many times that he does not make his teammates better, but a review of the facts will reveal that everybody who played along side him had their highest moments while playing on championship teams with Bryant.

Consider this: Gasol was an all-star on a bad Grizzlies team before he teamed up with Bryant. He was never considered a championship caliber player before his days with the Lakers.

Odom was viewed as a player who would never come close to reaching his potential, but with Bryant, he became a key contributor to championship teams.

Derek Fisher’s years away from Bryant and the Lakers were not memorable.

Throughout Bryant’s career, fans, sports writers and commentators have argued that wing players such as Allen Iverson, Tracey McGrady, and LeBron James were greater than Bryant. While a legitimate argument for James can be made, no other backcourt player has reached the levels that Bryant has, and none of them, including James, had the same type of killer instinct.

Bryant certainly was not loved by all, but it is becoming accepted that he is the closest thing to Michael Jordan that has come along since Jordan retired. Most people believe Jordan is clearly the greatest shooting guard to have ever played, and Bryant is not far behind him.

While many players have wanted to be like Jordan, Bryant is the only one to actually accomplish that feat. Both players had a similar drive, a similar work ethic, and a similar obsession to be great. They both wanted to drive their teams to championships, and they both were unafraid to fail.

While Jordan is generally remembered for being one of the greatest champions ever, it is often forgotten that he also played the villain role when needed. He did not tolerate anything less than a maximum effort from his teammates, and he once became so mad in practice that he struck teammate Steve Kerr in the face.

Jordan’s drive led the Bulls to six titles, while Bryant was just one title behind.

Like Jordan, Bryant is controlling his own narrative, and he is going out on his terms. It is easy to see that the game has passed him by, but he is still out there shooting the ball 25 times a game, even though everybody, including himself, knows that at this point, those shots are not going to fall in the basket.

The current version of Bryant is more jovial than the former. He smiles at press conferences, and is friendly with the media. And he makes fun of his own inabilities. But make no mistake, he is still Kobe Bryant, and he is still first on the pecking order when it comes to taking shots on this Lakers team. He is taking his farewell on his own terms. He is going out like he came in 20 years ago—shooting at will, whether the shots are going in or not.

This lighter in-spirit Bryant has endeared himself to many, but the villainous Bryant is what made him so great and is what made fans “love” him so much. By being the villain, he became the ultimate hero.

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