Written by Yaron Weitzman at The Comeback
Where to begin with the eulogy? And which Kobe Bryant are we eulogizing anyway?
There’s the player who will finish his career as one of the 10 best to ever step onto a court. The five-time champion, two-time Finals MVP, 17-time All-Star. The man who finished the 2006 season averaging 35.4 points. The ruthless competitor who emulated Michael Jordan’s path from high-flyer to dominant post player and who is likely the closet we’ll ever see to being “like Mike.”
But that Kobe Bryant disappeared about three years ago. Since then Kobe has been the NBA version of a 95-year-old: Cranky, stubborn, and struggling to keep up with the changing times. Also, lots of cursing.
Instead of three-pointers he jacks up mid-range jumpers. Instead of moving the ball he would hold onto it. In Kobe’s mind the search for perfect shot ended when the ball hit his hands.
Then again, while the past few years for Bryant on the court have been, well, ugly and kind of sad, off the court they’ve been glorious. Bryant just doesn’t care about public perception anymore. It took him years to get there, but by the time he hit his late 30s he was finally comfortable with the person he was: A one of a kind athlete, but also kind of a jerk, a dude with no friends but also someone who doesn’t thinks he needs them.
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