Kobe Bean Bryant, AKA The Black Mamba, is the best player in NBA and has been for the past four years. His critics (haters) can argue all they want, but when it comes down to it he is the best. I say he is the best not just because I am a die hard Laker fan, and because he just so happens to be my all time favorite player. I say it because he has paid his dues to start earning some respect. I would definitely have to crown Kobe the most hated great player. There are few players in the NBA who can play the same way on both ends of the floor. There are even fewer players who have offensive skills that can come close to those of Mamba. Lebron James is a great player, but when it comes down to pure skill and being able to score anywhere on the court at anytime, Mamba has it. Mamba has been elected to the all defensive team seven times in his career. King James has yet to make an appearance. Mamba has also been on the all NBA team the past nine seasons. He has yet to see an MVP trophy, but that will change by the end of this season.
I don't need to bring up the 81 points he scored Toronto nor do I need to bring up the month he carried the Lakers on his back and averaged 50 points per game that month. All his great performances speak for themselves. You can say he was a ball hog, he played Toronto, or whatever you want, but in the end he did what he had to do to take his sub par team to the playoffs in the western conference.
Many also criticize him as a leader and teammate. That is one thing I feel we cannot do because we are not in that locker room. From what I have seen Mamba has done what he felt was necessary to make his team better. He has always been outspoken about what he wants. It is no secret that he wants another championship and will do anything necessary to get another. He is a competitor. As a Laker fan I respected him when he demanded the trade. Yes I was hurt, but I understood where he was coming from. Upper management was really slacking and doing a sub par job at building a new team. That hurt the Lakers as a dynasty. Once he started making demands though, things started happening fast. Now look at the Lakers: battling for the number one spot in the western conference after barely making the playoffs the last few seasons. Keep in mind that Kobe has put action to all the talk he put out there too. He is doing his job now that he has an adequate team to support him. He is playing through injury and still doing whatever is necessary to make his team win.
As I conclude I just want all the Kobe haters to think. Think of why they hate him. What has he done that was so wrong? Yes he has made some bad personal decisions, but who are we to judge. Especially since he is not the only to make a mistake like that; he is just one of the few to get caught. Nevertheless it does not take away from his skills as an athlete. He didn't let that bs trial affect his game. He is the greatest player in the NBA right now and needs to start getting more respect point blank.
