Tonight Kobe Bryant will likely land on the tarmac of LAX and head directly to the Lakers/Rockets game 5 in the first round of the ultraboring NBA playoffs.
As I have written before about Mr. Bryant, his persona, aura, and legacy as an NBA player are pure mystery.
Is he good? Sure.
Is he great? Yeah, I guess.
The best in the NBA? Maybe.
The fans’ favorite? Well, no.
The media favorite? Good grief, no. Wait …
Kobe is enigmatic, because for a player so eerily similar to Michael Jordan, fans don’t seem to respond, save to resent each step of his growing legacy. The media is cautiously critical of him, yet they were quick to eat out of Jordan’s hand. Kobe definitely does not have the charisma of MJ, and has not yet learned to hide his inflammatory arrogance like Mike. But then, of course, something happened.
Kobe was accused of rape. And charged. And soon, tried.
And as he lost millions of dollars in endorsements (Mickey D’s, Nutella, Nike) immediately last August, and was chastised by millions of writers, fans and colleagues – some pundits were heard to declare that this arrest may help Bryant — adding to Bryant’s “street cred.”
These writers were perhaps misled by the gross popularity of the charismatic-yet-misunderstood Allen Iverson, assuming that tattoos and arrests fueled the popularity of an already-great athlete. After all, Bryant was booed in his hometown, where Allen is now loved. That MUST be it.
Well, a funny thing happened. Bryant is, in fact, gaining popularity among more and more media members as his rape hearings and trial push forward. Is it pity? Not really. It’s masked admiration, that with ALL THIS going on in his life, Bryant can still manage to put it all away (pun always intended) on the court and score at will.
After all, Bryant cruised to all-NBA first team legit and first team defense this week — even though Baron Davis or Michael Redd or Bruce Bowen had legitimate claims. And they played with no shrouds overhead.
But still, one morning, for an evidentiary hearing, he had to get up at 4 a.m., fly to Colorado, and sit through court all day and THEN he dropped 36 on Sacto! Wow, say what you will about his personal issues, the trial only adds to his legacy!
This statement is not verbatim, but very similar to ones continually expressed over LA radio, even a national show. Are we as basketball fans actually supposed to take the media’s lead, admiring Kobe for soldiering through a rape trial?
Kobe should NOT be commended for excelling at his profession in the backdrop of his trial, just as an ordinary citizen would not expect to hear, “Hey, great filing today, ESPECIALLY with your murder trial going on,” or “Wow, you’ve really given a great lecture on morals, professor, what time was your DUI hearing this morning?” or “Naked Gun 3 was great, is there going to be a fourth one?”
The point is, there’s no profit to be gained from this set of circumstances. No matter how it’s spun, Kobe is not a victim, and has not suffered some sort of unbelievable burden by being accused. He hasn’t had to rise to overcome any sort of obstacle, he has simply had to become accountable for his indiscretions.
So tonight, watch Kobe against the Rockets if you want. He’s admittedly innocent, of course, until proven guilty, but also admittedly fortunate to still have a job.
Should he excel, then good for him, but come on, under no circumstances should his outside legal problems elevate his status in his current profession. Period.
