#TBT- Kobe Bryant, SG, Los Angeles Lakers
@Hoover__26 April 14
On the day after the final game of the 2016 NBA regular season (and the end of fantasy basketball season), there is so much to remember (and a little to forget, I’m talking to YOU Sixers!). Stephen Curry and the Warriors set a record that may never fall (a .89 winning percentage is pretty out of this world in the age of free agency), a triple-double bonanza from guys like Russell Westbrook and Draymond Green, and the almost mechanical greatness of the San Antonio Spurs. However, perhaps nothing can overshadow the departure of one of the greatest players of all time, Kobe Bryant. These past few seasons have been, well, rough for Kobe. The injury bug bit him on a regular basis, and he hasn’t been able to show his dominance as much as he did in his younger years. However, he managed to go out with one of the greatest moments in NBA history (it did take him 50 shots to get his 60 points, but nobody cares about that).
Kobe’s impact on the game of basketball has been incredible. He basically split the world of basketball into two camps: those who loved him, and those who (to put it gently) did not (I can’t think of a basketball fan who ever had a neutral opinion of Kobe). While I spent most of my time in the second camp, I have to appreciate how great Kobe has been for 20 years. Now, I have Kobe slotted around the 20 mark all-time (I will probably catch some heat for that). But his ability to make every single fan out there care in some way about the result of a season, a game, or even a shot, is really unmatched. To put it this way, nobody was better for the NBA than Kobe Bryant.
For years, Kobe has set the benchmark for a fantasy basketball stud. While he has certainly passed that torch, he finished with a must-own 28.8 fantasy points per game (espn.com) this season. While his farewell tour seemed a little over the top to me (Elton Brand’s last game likely came last night as well, to little fanfare), he proved that perhaps no athlete is as universally known as Kobe. He has won plenty of fantasy championships for plenty of people, with an unrelenting desire to stuff every single stat sheet that bears his name.
As the page turns to a new era in the NBA, we wait and see who steps up and emerges as the next Kobe. While we already have a few guesses as to who will adorn the top of the future All-Star ballots, I don’t know if there can ever be another Kobe. The way he played the game, and the fingerprint he left on it, is something we may never see the likes of again. Now, I have one question for you: 8 or 24?
Kobe’s impact on the game of basketball has been incredible. He basically split the world of basketball into two camps: those who loved him, and those who (to put it gently) did not (I can’t think of a basketball fan who ever had a neutral opinion of Kobe). While I spent most of my time in the second camp, I have to appreciate how great Kobe has been for 20 years. Now, I have Kobe slotted around the 20 mark all-time (I will probably catch some heat for that). But his ability to make every single fan out there care in some way about the result of a season, a game, or even a shot, is really unmatched. To put it this way, nobody was better for the NBA than Kobe Bryant.
For years, Kobe has set the benchmark for a fantasy basketball stud. While he has certainly passed that torch, he finished with a must-own 28.8 fantasy points per game (espn.com) this season. While his farewell tour seemed a little over the top to me (Elton Brand’s last game likely came last night as well, to little fanfare), he proved that perhaps no athlete is as universally known as Kobe. He has won plenty of fantasy championships for plenty of people, with an unrelenting desire to stuff every single stat sheet that bears his name.
As the page turns to a new era in the NBA, we wait and see who steps up and emerges as the next Kobe. While we already have a few guesses as to who will adorn the top of the future All-Star ballots, I don’t know if there can ever be another Kobe. The way he played the game, and the fingerprint he left on it, is something we may never see the likes of again. Now, I have one question for you: 8 or 24?