MJ vs. Kobe the misconseption that leads to hate
Posted: Sun Sep 19, 2010 10:36 am
As a Southern Cali native and a lifelong Lake fan I felt the need to address the issue that most have w/ the MJ vs. Kobe comparison.
I was born in the early 80s so there is no possible way I could remember all of showtime. But when I was a kid at the rec league Magic was the man. We loved our charismatic champion.
But for many on this forum (fans in their 20s) most of our basketball memories are of Michael Air Jordan, AKA the his Airness, AKA the GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!!
Its impossible not to respect the man. Everyone wishes MJ played for their team (Wizards fans should be proud they got a 40 year old Mike). MJ is clearly the best player of all time (I know the Celts guys are going to talk about Russell). MJ had the work ethic, the fundamentals (the most beautiful game in the history of sports), MJ had the highlights and the drama and most importantly, he delivered championship after championship after championship.
Most LA fans wont say this (don't hate me LA fans, I feel like I'm breaking rules #1 and #2 of FightClub) but many think of MJ as their favorite player. Its not just LA fans... MJ is the fav player of an entire generation. We grew up watching greatness. I still say Magic is my fav Laker. One of my first memories is going to the Forum and seeing Magic play basketball from the 11th row (thanks Uncle K). But deep down I missed a lot of Magic's career so its impossible for me to remember how it felt to watch someone just keep winning live when you didnt know the outcome. Bball history is great, but there is no drama to it. You know at some point the other team is going to make their move and win. No sane basketball fan would ever deny Magic is the best PG of all time. But we all know Jordan is the best player OAT. Better than Magic (as he showed in '91).
In '96 this kid Kobe came along (and Laker fans are NOT use to getting good draft picks) and the city of LA fell in love with his game. He worked his way off the bench (pretty crazy he didnt get the 6th man award) and at first (before Kobe plagiarized MJ's game) he had a style all his own. Think about all the crazy stuff we saw at the 98' all star game!
Kobe was born with just about the same physical gifts as MJ (w/o the huge hands Mike had). Kobe admitted on his recent Asian tour that he dieted for 2 years to get to 220 pounds because he wanted to have the power MJ had. It wasnt about copying him to rip him off, but if you see someone that is doing everything right and you are competitive you ask yourself what does he have that I don't and then you work hard to catch up. Kobe always wanted to catch Mike because his competitive spirit demands it. Kobe deep down believes he can beat Mike but not all Kobe fans believe this.
What Kobe fans believe is that Kobe is an extremely talented hard worker who delivers defense and is great because he outworks everyone. Sure it was harder to love Kobe than Mike. Kobe had constant LLCoolJ lip licking disease and a weird Will Smith phony style that wasn't who he was (it was who he wanted to be).
Perhaps a lot of that has to do with MJs and Kobe's father. MJ's father was a great and humble man. He showed his son how to work hard and also how to be confident (you have ultimate confidence to be a team leader and a SG). But MJs father was blue collar guy and he kept MJ pretty grounded (check out MJs interviews for some great stuff about this).
Now JellyBean was an NBA player (where MJs dad played NCAA ball) and he also showed his son how to work hard and be confident. But Jellybean didnt know how to teach humility. He didnt even know the word existed. It rubbed off on Kobe. Combine that with Kobe the rich child star, the youngest guard ever in the NBA and bringing Brandy to the prom and the boy was over confident (but thankfully he never lost his work ethic).
(Back to Bball) As Laker fans you watch just about every game. This city loves basketball like no city I've ever been to. Think back to 1999 when LA hired the legendary Phil Jackson to coach. What were suppose to do, watch pro football that year? This town was already a basketball town before the Rams and Raiders left, after Lakers FTW.
There are many reports that after Kobe met with PJ he was coached to start playing more like MJ. (Kobe probably thought he was already playing like MJ, but he was wrong. How can you become the best SG in the game and not resemble the best SG to ever live?)
That season Kobe (99-00) Kobe seemed to channel MJ. It didnt hurt that he had the same body and weight so all the physics fir. Combine that with Phil Jackson on the sidelines and a new triangle offense in full effect it was impossible for basketball fans not to notice the similarities of Kobe and the GOAT. And then Kobe (guarded by Pippen) delivered in the conference Finals when when all hope was lost. And then (with Shaq's equal help of course) a championship was delivered to LA. And then another and then another.
We all loved watching Kobe show flashes of Jordan. Kobe still had his own game with riskier D and more long bombs. He did the 360 dunks and thankfully he never did the tongue thing. At one game a whole row of Laker fans were talking about how when they blurred their eyes, Kobe looked like Jordan with hair. (Kobe is going bald and at some point will shave his head and the haters are going to say something about MJ ug).
We love Kobe for the hard working and talented player that he has become. It was amazing to watch a guy come from off the bench and help win us 5 championships over the years and also have some of the most ridiculous games in NBA history. With all the hype AI was getting in the 90s and early 2000s LA fans felt we had to tell people as best we could why this Kobe guy was the superior SG. It was difficult and without a long ass statement like this (did I even do it right) it was hard to explain it without the MJ comparisons (which really are a form of basketball blasphemy and I wish LA fans never went there, I only went there because the damage has been done). We watched Kobe not get his due off the bench when he started his career and then watched Kobe not get very much credit with a Finals MVP during the 3 peat (he deserved 1 but couldnt play all of the 2001 Finals) and we wanted to stick up for our boy.
Kobe deserved some credit because he was the closer. The rest of the league talked so much about our 1st punch (and I'm a HUGE Shaq fan) but Shaq just can't close deals. LA fans that watched the entire journey knew that the East was weak and Kobe was the main killer of Portland in 2000, the main killer in 2001 before the Finals and Kobe just murdered the Spurs in 2002 playing in his best series ever. With Shaq, he either knocks his opponent out in the first half or Kobe has to finish the game off. (Shaq is the Mike Tyson of basketball.) With it being LA, we love that drama of a close game until the very end (All sports fans love watching the outcome come down to the wire).
Kobe is competitive he is playing not just against super teams now, but against the ghost of the basketball legends past. If Kobe doesnt win another ring he may very well dwell on it until the day he dies instead of seeing the 5 he has. As fans we are amazed when Kobe finds the zone and at points even think Kobe's fire burns hotter than anyone's. But we know Kobe is not the GOAT. And MJ could dile in the heat far more frequently and MJs heat was like the energizer bunny. Laker fans know Jordan is the GOAT but we love to watch Kobe come as close as he can to Jordan.
Another rare quote is when they asked Kobe what the saddest day of his career was. I thought he would say the 2004 Finals. He said it was the day Jordan retired because he could never compete against him again. Kobe wished he could play against MJ in his prime. I don't think Kobe would have 5 rings if he did. Its pretty crazy that Kobe wants a tougher road to rings. But that is why we love Kobe.
(Tip for Laker fans, watch those Asian Kobe interviews, they have some amazing Qs where the most revealing interview on Kobe we have had in the US was Screamen A Smith. Wish Kobe was less guarded here in the states.)
I was born in the early 80s so there is no possible way I could remember all of showtime. But when I was a kid at the rec league Magic was the man. We loved our charismatic champion.
But for many on this forum (fans in their 20s) most of our basketball memories are of Michael Air Jordan, AKA the his Airness, AKA the GREATEST OF ALL TIME!!!
Its impossible not to respect the man. Everyone wishes MJ played for their team (Wizards fans should be proud they got a 40 year old Mike). MJ is clearly the best player of all time (I know the Celts guys are going to talk about Russell). MJ had the work ethic, the fundamentals (the most beautiful game in the history of sports), MJ had the highlights and the drama and most importantly, he delivered championship after championship after championship.
Most LA fans wont say this (don't hate me LA fans, I feel like I'm breaking rules #1 and #2 of FightClub) but many think of MJ as their favorite player. Its not just LA fans... MJ is the fav player of an entire generation. We grew up watching greatness. I still say Magic is my fav Laker. One of my first memories is going to the Forum and seeing Magic play basketball from the 11th row (thanks Uncle K). But deep down I missed a lot of Magic's career so its impossible for me to remember how it felt to watch someone just keep winning live when you didnt know the outcome. Bball history is great, but there is no drama to it. You know at some point the other team is going to make their move and win. No sane basketball fan would ever deny Magic is the best PG of all time. But we all know Jordan is the best player OAT. Better than Magic (as he showed in '91).
In '96 this kid Kobe came along (and Laker fans are NOT use to getting good draft picks) and the city of LA fell in love with his game. He worked his way off the bench (pretty crazy he didnt get the 6th man award) and at first (before Kobe plagiarized MJ's game) he had a style all his own. Think about all the crazy stuff we saw at the 98' all star game!
Kobe was born with just about the same physical gifts as MJ (w/o the huge hands Mike had). Kobe admitted on his recent Asian tour that he dieted for 2 years to get to 220 pounds because he wanted to have the power MJ had. It wasnt about copying him to rip him off, but if you see someone that is doing everything right and you are competitive you ask yourself what does he have that I don't and then you work hard to catch up. Kobe always wanted to catch Mike because his competitive spirit demands it. Kobe deep down believes he can beat Mike but not all Kobe fans believe this.
What Kobe fans believe is that Kobe is an extremely talented hard worker who delivers defense and is great because he outworks everyone. Sure it was harder to love Kobe than Mike. Kobe had constant LLCoolJ lip licking disease and a weird Will Smith phony style that wasn't who he was (it was who he wanted to be).
Perhaps a lot of that has to do with MJs and Kobe's father. MJ's father was a great and humble man. He showed his son how to work hard and also how to be confident (you have ultimate confidence to be a team leader and a SG). But MJs father was blue collar guy and he kept MJ pretty grounded (check out MJs interviews for some great stuff about this).
Now JellyBean was an NBA player (where MJs dad played NCAA ball) and he also showed his son how to work hard and be confident. But Jellybean didnt know how to teach humility. He didnt even know the word existed. It rubbed off on Kobe. Combine that with Kobe the rich child star, the youngest guard ever in the NBA and bringing Brandy to the prom and the boy was over confident (but thankfully he never lost his work ethic).
(Back to Bball) As Laker fans you watch just about every game. This city loves basketball like no city I've ever been to. Think back to 1999 when LA hired the legendary Phil Jackson to coach. What were suppose to do, watch pro football that year? This town was already a basketball town before the Rams and Raiders left, after Lakers FTW.
There are many reports that after Kobe met with PJ he was coached to start playing more like MJ. (Kobe probably thought he was already playing like MJ, but he was wrong. How can you become the best SG in the game and not resemble the best SG to ever live?)
That season Kobe (99-00) Kobe seemed to channel MJ. It didnt hurt that he had the same body and weight so all the physics fir. Combine that with Phil Jackson on the sidelines and a new triangle offense in full effect it was impossible for basketball fans not to notice the similarities of Kobe and the GOAT. And then Kobe (guarded by Pippen) delivered in the conference Finals when when all hope was lost. And then (with Shaq's equal help of course) a championship was delivered to LA. And then another and then another.
We all loved watching Kobe show flashes of Jordan. Kobe still had his own game with riskier D and more long bombs. He did the 360 dunks and thankfully he never did the tongue thing. At one game a whole row of Laker fans were talking about how when they blurred their eyes, Kobe looked like Jordan with hair. (Kobe is going bald and at some point will shave his head and the haters are going to say something about MJ ug).
We love Kobe for the hard working and talented player that he has become. It was amazing to watch a guy come from off the bench and help win us 5 championships over the years and also have some of the most ridiculous games in NBA history. With all the hype AI was getting in the 90s and early 2000s LA fans felt we had to tell people as best we could why this Kobe guy was the superior SG. It was difficult and without a long ass statement like this (did I even do it right) it was hard to explain it without the MJ comparisons (which really are a form of basketball blasphemy and I wish LA fans never went there, I only went there because the damage has been done). We watched Kobe not get his due off the bench when he started his career and then watched Kobe not get very much credit with a Finals MVP during the 3 peat (he deserved 1 but couldnt play all of the 2001 Finals) and we wanted to stick up for our boy.
Kobe deserved some credit because he was the closer. The rest of the league talked so much about our 1st punch (and I'm a HUGE Shaq fan) but Shaq just can't close deals. LA fans that watched the entire journey knew that the East was weak and Kobe was the main killer of Portland in 2000, the main killer in 2001 before the Finals and Kobe just murdered the Spurs in 2002 playing in his best series ever. With Shaq, he either knocks his opponent out in the first half or Kobe has to finish the game off. (Shaq is the Mike Tyson of basketball.) With it being LA, we love that drama of a close game until the very end (All sports fans love watching the outcome come down to the wire).
Kobe is competitive he is playing not just against super teams now, but against the ghost of the basketball legends past. If Kobe doesnt win another ring he may very well dwell on it until the day he dies instead of seeing the 5 he has. As fans we are amazed when Kobe finds the zone and at points even think Kobe's fire burns hotter than anyone's. But we know Kobe is not the GOAT. And MJ could dile in the heat far more frequently and MJs heat was like the energizer bunny. Laker fans know Jordan is the GOAT but we love to watch Kobe come as close as he can to Jordan.
Another rare quote is when they asked Kobe what the saddest day of his career was. I thought he would say the 2004 Finals. He said it was the day Jordan retired because he could never compete against him again. Kobe wished he could play against MJ in his prime. I don't think Kobe would have 5 rings if he did. Its pretty crazy that Kobe wants a tougher road to rings. But that is why we love Kobe.
(Tip for Laker fans, watch those Asian Kobe interviews, they have some amazing Qs where the most revealing interview on Kobe we have had in the US was Screamen A Smith. Wish Kobe was less guarded here in the states.)