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This is a little present for the many, many, MANY forum members that like to argue that the NBA title is more important than the Olympics (even though obviously Olympics is MUCH bigger than a NBA final). But you always have people trying to make that dumb argument. Well Kobe himself even agrees an Olympic gold is bigger.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/brya ... basketball

Kobe: Olympic gold is more important than NBA title
Lakers star prepares for Olympics with USA basketball team.
By Janis Carr

LAS VEGAS Kobe Bryant has won games and NBA titles and fans along the way.

He has a lucrative contract, money-spinning endorsements and moves envied by players around the world.

Now Bryant is going after the one thing he doesn't own, something that could earn him, and the other 11 members of the U.S. National basketball team, the respect it lost four years ago – an Olympic gold medal.

The United States, a perennial powerhouse in international basketball, lost its swagger four years ago, when the Americans finished preliminary play at 3-2 and then were forced to settle for a bronze medal after losing to Argentina in the semifinals.

Bryant and the others say this Olympiad will be different when the team plays in Beijing.

"What we have is a determination to win," Bryant said after the first day of practice at Valley High. "We have guys who work extremely hard, play hard, play well together and go out there and do what we do best."

Bryant has put aside the Lakers' loss to Boston in the NBA Finals and re-ignited his passion for the sport he dominated this past season. He said he is looking forward to the competition and pressure the United States faces heading into the Olympics.

"There is pressure every time we play, pressure to win, especially for us, USA Basketball," Bryant said. "It comes with the territory. It comes from playing sports. Pressure comes along with it.

"But everyone is used to dealing with it. We thrive on it."

Bryant put winning a gold medal above winning the Larry O'Brien trophy or MVP honors because "you're playing for your country. You're not playing for a region, a state … you're playing for the United States of America and that has more importance."

With so many international players competing in the NBA, Bryant is sure to see some familiar faces when he arrives in China. There's one player, however, he is eager to come up against – teammate Pau Gasol, who will be playing for Spain.

"(Before he left) he said he was going to go for gold. Obviously," Bryant said, laughing. "We all are. It's going to be fun. I look forward to seeing him."

Obviously; playing in a L or playing for a country?

obviously Kobe is going to say this..in the Olympics, he has the chance of winning a title as the best player on a team..something he hasn't done and might not be able to do in the NBA..so this isn't surprising..

I must have missed the memo that Kobe speaks for every player in the NBA. Seriously before 2004, Players looked at the Olympics as a free trip and a gold medal for their wall. Of course the NBA championship was bigger in the eyes of most players it's where the actual competition was. Now though with the world catching up it's finally swinging the other way.

He's the first NBA player that I've ever heard admit that. Good for Kobe, I would not of expected him to say anything other than that. He's playing company man. If he says no, then that gives bums like Laker fan a reason to whine and cry about how the US does not respect International events. I wonder if Reggie Miller, Charles Barkley, Karl Malone and John Stockton would trade in their Gold Medals for a NBA Title. My guess would be yes.

The key is that this is something that he doesn't have. If you just look at the number of players that have previously declined to play for the US you'd know that it clearly is not as important to them as the NBA Championship.

Dtown84 wrote:I must have missed the memo that Kobe speaks for every player in the NBA. Seriously before 2004, Players looked at the Olympics as a free trip and a gold medal for their wall. Of course the NBA championship was bigger in the eyes of most players it's where the actual competition was. Now though with the world catching up it's finally swinging the other way.

Yes, if there is one good thing that has come out of the US losing, it's that it's brought the fire back to USA basketball. Now guys want to be there. On the "Road to Redemption" show on ESPN 2 last night. Jason Kidd mentioned how Chris Paul and Deron Williams could get 2 or 3 gold medals, and they agreed. That shows that they are committed to playing. We are going to see more teams like this one in the future than what we saw in 2002 and 2004.

Yeah well Kobe also made some wedding vows to Vanessa too. Just because he says something doesn't mean he means it.

Country before Club...nothing wrong with that...but really what did you guys expect him to say?

Obviously Kobe is going to say this, he just lost the NBA Finals and he has a good shot at winning the Olympics.

I love how people quote Kobe on all these different things like he's not completely backed by his own agenda.

HarlemHeat37 wrote:obviously Kobe is going to say this..in the Olympics, he has the chance of winning a title as the best player on a team..something he hasn't done and might not be able to do in the NBA..so this isn't surprising..

Haa?

You must be confused, playing on the same team among the best players in the league like J.K, L.B.J etc, your claiming that he can and he has the ability to win a title and become the best player on the Olympic team, but he cant and he hasnt been able to do it in the NBA............So, correct me if Im wrong...... He is the leagues MVP ? Right?

Cybulski37 wrote:Yeah well Kobe also made some wedding vows to Vanessa too. Just because he says something doesn't mean he means it.

WOW.......... Such a classy post.
I can see how your post has lot to do with the Olympics and the topic at hand.

Malinhion wrote:Obviously Kobe is going to say this, he just lost the NBA Finals and he has a good shot at winning the Olympics.

I love how people quote Kobe on all these different things like he's not completely backed by his own agenda.

Or it could just be because he doesn't have a gold medal but has 3 NBA rings. Or maybe it's because he actually thinks a gold medal for your country is more important then a ring for yourself. There are lots of reasons he could have said it.

Exactly. Of course he thinks the olympic gold is more important than an NBA title NOW. He already has 3 NBA titles, and 0 Gold Medals. Hypothetically, if Kobe was at the same point in his career, and had not won an NBA title, do you think his answer would be the same? I don't.

I doubt he wants a Gold Medal more than he wants another NBA title. The statement is more of an indication of his level of commitment to the USA basketball team rather than something to be taken literally.

His response is perfect and his PR group would be happy, since appearing to put the Olympics behind the NBA wouldn't be the best move to make with the US team having won a Bronze. I'd expect any other NBA player to say the same. Even if they weren't telling the truth.

But, just because he prefers one accomplishment over another doesn't diminish his drive to win.

Wow, so 70% of RealGM posters will guzzle down anything written by Kobe's publicist, huh?

Sounds pretty obvious to me. You must be swallowing the marketing like a 9 year old if you think the NBA title is greater than a Olympic gold medal.

Malinhion wrote:Obviously Kobe is going to say this, he just lost the NBA Finals and he has a good shot at winning the Olympics.

I love how people quote Kobe on all these different things like he's not completely backed by his own agenda.

it doesnt matter. he's so concerned about his image that he's consistent, anyway. consistency is consistency, however it comes.

we all knew he'd say this. he would have said this if he had won the nba finals last year, just like he's saying it even though he didnt. we'll never know what he would say if he had never won any rings at all bc, as you well know, he's a mother **** 3-time nba champion.

Hypz wrote:Sounds pretty obvious to me. You must be swallowing the marketing like a 9 year old if you think the NBA title is greater than a Olympic gold medal.

Until the Olympics reaches the competitiveness and difficulty of the World Cup you'll have people who think that. And in a league where its titles that establishes a players dominance as opposed to their performance in the Olympics, players will continue to hold NBA Championships to a higher regard. If players had the same respect towards the Olympics like soccer players do towards the World Cup you wouldn't see guys like Duncan and KG choosing to sit out to rest their body.

Malinhion wrote:Wow, so 70% of RealGM posters will guzzle down anything written by Kobe's publicist, huh?

Wondering how you came up with 70%............. LINK PLEASE.