The Mamba

34 years ago, on August 23, 1978, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kobe Bean Bryant was born. In those 34 years, we have seen many highs, lows, and moments in between. But one thing is for sure: there's never been a dull moment in Kobe's 16 (going on 17) years in the NBA. 

My first memories of Kobe were as a 5 year old kid in kindergarten back in 1997-98. Kobe still rocked the #8, the fro, and was known more for his wild, acrobatic dunks. I remember him with Shaq, Eddie Jones, Nick Van Exel, Elden Campbell, and Fish when he still had hair. Flash forward 2 years, Kobe goes from a kid to a man in the 2000 NBA Playoffs. Game 7 of the 2000 Western Conference Finals, Lakers come back from 15 down in the 4th, Kobe lobs to Shaq (the real Lob City), Kobe leads the team with 25 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists (for all you people calling him a ballhog), and 4 blocks (Shaq only had 1), and in Game 4 of the NBA Finals. Shaq fouls out, Kobe hits big shots to allow the Lakers to keep their lead and hang on to win the game. The following year, despite a feud with Shaq, Kobe puts in monster performances, especially in Games 3 & 4 against Sacramento, Games 1 & 3 against San Antonio, and Game 2 against Philadelphia. He does it again the following year, cementing his rep as a playoff performer with big games in Games 6 & 7 against Sacramento and against San Antonio, and Game 3 of the Finals against New Jersey. In 2003, he went on an unreal streak of 9 40+ point games, which, to this day, I cannot believe. He would face his biggest problems that summer, as he was charged for a certain incident in Colorado. That season, he proved his mental toughness by still maintaining an elite level of play despite having to go back and forth between court that season. In fact, he played his best after having to go to court and playing in the same day. That year, however, it came crashing down after the loss to the Pistons in the Finals. The fighting between him and Shaq grew, and Kobe took the blame for Phil Jackson's departure and Shaq being traded to Miami.

It seemed like Kobe was ruined. However, it proved to be far from the truth. After a lost season in 2005, in 2006, Kobe dragged a Laker team with a weak supporting cast to a playoff spot, averaging 35 points a game, and outscoring Dallas, one of the best teams in the league that year, 62-61 after 3 quarters, and scoring 81 points against the Toronto Raptors. The following year, he scored 50+ points in 4 consecutive games, which was one of the more impressive performances in recent years. Kobe's road back was nearly completed in 2008, with an MVP award, one that he had long deserved, and one that he should have gotten much earlier. However, the Lakers lost the NBA title to the Celtics, and Kobe in particular, was singled out and criticized. That summer in Beijing at the Olympics, however, Kobe gave what proved to be a preview of the next 2 seasons by leading Team USA to a gold medal in the Olympics as part of the Redeem Team, and hitting big shots down the stretch against Spain in the gold medal game. The following season, Kobe completed his redemption and reached the top of the NBA with an NBA title and a Finals MVP against Orlando. He finally erased any talk that he would never win one without Shaq, and did it again the next year, redeeming himself for the 2008 loss to the Celtics, despite a rough shooting night in Game 7, by willing his team to victory and coming up big on rebounding and the defensive end while playing the entire playoffs with a knee injury and a broken finger. The last 2 years haven't gone quite as planned, but Kobe showed his will, and led a Lakers team with quite possibly the weakest bench in the NBA to a 3rd seed in the West. The future, with Dwight Howard and Steve Nash on board with Pau Gasol along for the ride again, looks bright.

Does he sometimes shoot too much? Yeah, he does, as much as I've always defended it as necessary when the Lakers as a team are not playing well offensively. Either way, it's worked more often than not, and helped the Lakers win quite a few games they otherwise would not have won. Kobe will be in his 17th year this season, basically half his life, and damn near my entire life. It's hard for me to imagine the Lakers without him, but what I'm trying to say is enjoy him now, because the game won't be as exciting with him gone.