Give It Up For Kobe Bean Bryant
 

HANG TIME HEADQUARTERS – This is a direct message to the anti-Kobe Bryant crowd out there.

Give it up! Give up the fight.

And give it up for Kobe Bean Bryant.

Seriously, stop hating on the man and surrender. There’s a good chance KB Bryant is going to leave this game with his face on the NBA’s version of Mt. Rushmore, alongside those idols from his childhood, specifically Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson.

You can’t win this argument. Despite all of your theories to the contrary and reasons for why he should not, could not and will not go down as one of the game’s top five all-time greats, it’s going to happen. There’s no stopping him now. He’s already got the championship rings (five of them, to be exact) and career longevity that has eluded so many other seekers of basketball’s holy grail (fame, fortune, rings and legendary status).

And now he’s hunting down scoring legends, one by one, as he climbs up the career chart every time he and the Lakers hit the floor. With 13 points tonight against the Sacramento Kings, Bryant will pass Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon and move into eighth place on the NBA’s career scoring list. He began the year in 13th place. He’ll be knocking on the door of the top five by season’s end.

Love him or hate him, you can’t deny the man his due.

You’ve doubted him at every turn, from the moment he stood at that podium as a high school senior with those shades sitting atop of his shaved head and told the world he was taking his talents to the NBA next year (it was “The Decision” long before we’d ever heard of LeBron James).

There was no way this brash kid was going to take over the league the way he tried to in his first couple of years in the league, butting heads with grown men (on his team and around the league) on a nightly basis. But he did.

There was absolutely no he was going to be able to co-exist with another all-time great, Shaquille O’Neal, and win titles with the Lakers while they tussled for alpha dog status in the same locker room. But he did. He won three titles and would have probably won several more had they stayed together.

Surely there was no way he’d win it all without Shaq, not after blowing up that dynasty. He’d have to settle for being known forever as Robin to the big fella’s Batman, a shame worse than anything he could stand. But he did. He finally won without Shaq, back-to-back titles even, and now he’s chasing his third straight.

But KB Bryant isn’t just playing for his own legacy these days. He’s doing it for his coach now, too. He’s trying to make sure Phil Jackson exits Laker land properly, with another ring.

It’s yet another improbable twist in Bryant’s true Hollywood story.

The same coach that trashed him in that book after the Shaq-Kobe dynasty ended is the one that inspires him now. Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times explains:

Kobe Bryant doesn’t need any added motivation, but he acknowledges the importance of winning one more championship under Jackson.

“Yeah, for me especially because we’ve been together for so long,” Bryant said. “I’m going to make sure I do everything in my power to send him off in the right way.”

Jackson, 65, reiterated Thursday that he would be done coaching after this season. He said that last season was a “maybe” as far as retirement, but “this year, there’s no ‘maybe.’ “

He then joked he would find a way to stay in the spotlight: “I’m actually going to have a press conference once every two months just to kind of feel right. Maybe like Jerry [West], just getting it out.”

West recently made headlines by saying at an Orange County auto show that the Lakers’ defense looked slow and old.

Bryant didn’t want to peer too far into Jackson’s departure after 11 seasons with the Lakers, five of which have ended in championships.

“It’ll be a sad day, but I’m sure I’ll get together with him and go fly-fishing at some point,” Bryant said.

You won’t catch us doubting Bryant when he says he and Phil might go fly-fishing together one day. In fact, we’re expecting as much. Look at the man’s history. He doesn’t just chase his dreams, he snatches them up.

Are we convinced that his sole motivating factor is making sure the Zen Master receives a proper send off? Well, of course, not. We all know he wants to climb more than just the scoring charts.

Jordan has that sixth ring.

You know KB Bryant won’t rest until he has seven … or eight, or even nine.

At this point, we’d be fools to doubt him.

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2011/0...s=iref:nbahpt1

No hating here...KB is one of my favorite players.

I'll never give it up. Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

I dont know....whats Katelyn Faber's take ?


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Yeah me too. I have been a HUGE Laker fan since I was a kid watching Magic and Kareem.

I would love to see a 3peat this year.

Kobe might just end up the all time scoring leader when he is done.

He is a great player, probably the best since Jordan, but I am still a h8r.

Oddly enough he is his own worst enemy when it comes to his place in NBA history. He will always be considered a great one, but he would be regarded higher if he was actually liked by people outside of LA. Everyone loved Bird, Magic, and Michael and the NBA was much more popular back then as well. I think he will always get mentioned as a top 10 player, but never as a GOAT candidate amongst the masses.

kobe's cool... **** the lakers :)

Whoever said he wasn't good is a ****ing moron. But the guy is still a huge douche and that's why he'll never be on jordan's level popularity wise.
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Jordan is the NBA's sacred cow. No matter how good he is a lot of people wont even consider him to be in the same league as Jordan. It's pretty lame.

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looks more like turtle rape-she is trying to get away-lol

Um...you realize that Jordan is the biggest douche to ever play a sport?
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:facepalm: I don't know, because he had a big dick? That's is what you were bragging about the first party after with a bunch of witnesses right? I still can't believe he hit that dumb bitch.

The only people who think Kobe is anywhere near Mike are Lakers homers, and kids who aren't old enough to have seen Mike play night in and night out. That said, I hate Kobe and I hate the Lakers as an old Sonics fan. And while I haven't watched any NBA basketball in years, from what I've seen of the dude, Kobe is the best to touch the court since Mike and is up there with every great player that's ever played this game outside of Jordan. JMHO.

I'll tell you what he does have just like Michael did, and that's work ethic. If anything was going to convince me I was wrong, and Kobe and Michael are equals, it would be that legendary work ethic. That "nothing is ever good enough" mentality. It's what makes them both warriors.

Yeah, I'm a Lakers/Kobe fan, but I can't put Kobe ahead of Mike. When his career is over though, he'll probably be a close second though. Closer than anybody else will get.

I didn't agree with that until a couple years ago, but I have no doubt you're right now. Like Michael, Kobe is obsessed. I admire it.

I was lucky enough to see Jordan play in person in dallas before he retired.

He still had a great game, but was outhustled quit a bit.

I would love to see kobe play before he is done.

If Kobe ends up with More points, More steals, More rebounds, More rings and ends up the Points lead all time.....

jordan will still be considered the best because he skipped a few years in his prime to play Baseball.

Team is starting to play better as the days go by. Bynum has been getting better and is a defensive beast. Post season can't come soon enough at least one of my teams don't shit the bed in the post season

He is a great and amazing player. But I just dislike him. I think everyone can agree that he has a talent level above others.

I used to hate Kobe when he was younger. But I think that's because I didn't want anybody to take Jordan's spot as the greatest.

I've since let that go. If somebody passes Jordan someday, so be it. People all love Jordan but I think I've realized that Jordan can be as much of an ass as some other athletes. Did you hear his HOF acceptance speedh? Ehh..

So Kobe is great. One of the greatest ever. Love his game. Still would take Jordan. But not by much.

If the internet had existed when Michael Jordan was playing basketball in the 80's & early 90's, he'd be far more hated than Kobe.

The mere fact that social media didn't exist during his day if proof enough. If Jordan had people following him 24-7, especially on the road, he wouldn't be as revered today.

**** the Lakers
**** Kobe Bryant
**** every fan of Kobe Bryant

:deevee:

funny thing is when i hear about people in L.A meeting Kobe around L.A they all said he was pretty nice saying hi and what not and isnt a douche to them.

I've never seen the man play as far as I know, and that automatically makes me the winner.

http://i49.tinypic.com/3027zol.jpg

Yep......

Excellent point. I agree 100%.

I don't think so. Some of it is Kobe's dickness being exposed through the media, but if you just look at Jordan and Kobe in photos Kobe just looks more like the guy who needs a good ass kicking.

what do you mean you dont think so? All his team mates said he was a dick, he gets into ****ing fights with his team mates. Even in his Hall of Fame speech was a dick, but you dont think so?

The only person Kobe has ever thrown under the bus was Smush Parker, and well, can you blame him. lol

Totally agree, check out this one.

Hard to argue with this. There are three kinds of women in Chicago - those Jordan has ****ed, those Jordan didn't want to ****, and those Jordan hasn't met.

I used to work for a woman who dated Jordan in college until she tired of his constant indiscretions. Direct quote from her: "Mike would **** a snake if you held it's head still."

He was always careful and discrete, but would not have done well in the world of cellphone cameras and twitter.

Then you clearly don't know anything about Michael Jordan.

If Twitter and Facebook and TMZ would have been around back then, the guy would probably be the most reviled athlete in America.

The guy ****ed every chick he could while married (including several porn stars), had massive gambling debts and gambling addiction and was a dick to everyone in his path, including his own teammates.

That shit wouldn't fly in 2011.

It doesn't matter man. Some people have that "it" likeable factor about them. Look at all the stuff Mike Tyson did and everybody still loves that dude.

Spot on.

Who the **** loves Mike Tyson?

Most know that now and do they care? No. Just like people overlook all of Charles Barkley's personal stuff.

ROFL Funny, that's exactly what went through my head. Maybe he means in a Tonya Harding type of way.

What I've never understood is how people are okay with LeBron being the next Jordan but hate the idea of Kobe being that.

LeBron is a bigger douche than Kobe, and somehow, is a worse off basketball player. Imagine if Kobe had LeBrons size and talent. With Kobes work ethic, he'd single handedly win the NBA title every year. But LeBron has no type of work ethic to show off. He's still the only 6'9 260 pound guy in the NBA that has no type of post moves to speak of and a very average jump shot.

Bottom line...

If you don't like Kobe because you feel like he's a dick, then stop reading or paying attention to anything Jordan outside of highlights from here on out.

It'll just down hill for you.

Mike Tyson and Ali might be the only 2 athletes or former athletes alive that rival Jordan's popularity. Mike Tyson and Kobe Bryant walk into some place guess who everyone wants to shake hands with.

Lebron had the physical freak thing on his side, but any thought of him ever being a top 10 player have pretty much went by the wayside now.

Being popular does not mean you're loved.

Ali, sure. But Tyson? Perhaps once, but not for a long time.

I liked LeBron before "The Decision".

Now, I think he's a ****ing dickheaded loser, lacking the killer instinct.

If Jordan were playing in these times, he'd be hated far more than he'd be "loved".

Well, sounds like kobe should hire Jordan's publicist, then he wouldn't come off as such a smug bitch.
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The only thing that makes me question this is the fact that Woods was able to maintain his image as long as he did, basically doing the same shit. If his wife hadn't lost her shit and started beating him with a golf club on the street that night, for all we know, he still might be Mr. Squeaky Clean.

Mike Tyson wasn't within light years of Ali. I can't even believe you would use both of their names in the same sentence.

Yeah, the phrase "taking my talents" pretty much sealed the deal in the publics eye which was already sick of it.

I agree, but both are still amazingly charasmatic figures. But point being they are the only two that come to mind that would draw a crowd in the US rivaling Jordan.

I disagree with you about Jordan, but I feel exactly the same about Lebron. I actually liked that guy when he was in CLE, now I can't stand his ass.
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Yeah, I suppose that argument can be made.

But I think it would be quite a bit more difficult for a guy like Jordan to escape the media, especially considering he played on average about 100 games a year, with half of those on the road while staying in high end hotels in America's most populated cities. The TMZ guys basically camp out at hotspots and I'm sure that with the internet and social media, the lid would have been blown off at some point.

Plus, Jordan was far less discreet than Woods. Tiger's "girls" didn't blow his cover. I'm guessing that Jordan, who banged any chick that would have him, wouldn't have been as lucky.

**** kobe and the shaq he rode in on.

Kobe 5 rings. Shaq 4.

MJ was an asshole at the hall of fame inductions.

Jordan was more discrete than you think - I know a woman he picked up one night. He had one of his people approach her and tell her that "Mike wants to hook up with you." She agreed, and was escorted from the club to a hotel room separately, so no one ever saw them together publicly.

BTW, I got this story second hand from a friend who worked with this woman, who was extremely fit and attractive. Both were on the Admiral's staff and not the type to make shit like that up. I assume this was the way he typically conducted himself, and I also assume if his people got any hint that the woman in question was either mentally or emotionally unstable, they'd pull the plug on the deal before he ever entered the picture.

FYP

3 courtesy of The Daddy.

Anyways my man Big Game Bob has 7.

I have a friend who was a cheeleader for the Warriors. That was exactly his MO with them. She said half the girls were approached in that fasion including herself.

Well, the dude was certainly a player off the court as well!

:D

And maybe you're right: His "people" may have found a way around the TMZ types and maybe even the social media aspect.

I'm just "assuming" that if he lived under the constant scrutiny that today's celebrities and superstar athletes live, one of his conquests would have cracked at some point, opening up the floodgates.

And from what I've heard, that's a pretty big pool of water.

Like Lake Michigan.

Definitely he would've had a few bad media episodes. Even now in his retirement he's getting ****ed with for having a hitler mustache.

http://nba-point-forward.si.com/2011...nnbin&hpt=Sbin


Mr Clutch?

I'm a suns fan

and they suck

I feel your pain.

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I've wanted to hate Kobe, but it's hard to disrespect a player that's this good. And I'm rooting like hell for the Lakers to come back to form and dominate the Heat. Still, having watched MJ, I think Kobe is a distant 2nd and that's not a knock on Kobe. I just don't think there will ever be a player that comes close to MJ.

I agree that he'd probably be more disliked in today's game, but I also think what MJ really has that Kobe doesn't is marketability. He was charismatic, was extremely recognizable, and had a bunch of quirks (like the tongue hanging out). I would also guess that the guy had business smarts that Kobe does not.

I don't care that either of those 2 are dicks. You can't be a competitor if you aren't. Look at Lebron--he's so intent on making everyone happy, that he's forced his teams to accomodate his posse wherever he goes, and then he lets his dumbass friend make a PR move as stupid as "the decision."

when he gave it to a hotel employee up the ass while married...he lost a little respect...but hey...what NBA player hasn't done that?