Editorial- Has Kobe Already Ruined The Next Great Laker?

Kobe Bryant is about as polarizing a figure as I've ever seen in sports. Kobe fans are all over the world and willing to defend his every action at the drop of a hat. If he shoots too much, there's a reason. If he had too many turnovers last night, there's a reason for that too. Kobe haters are just as quick to find reasons of their own. Hell, tearing down Kobe Bryant has become something of an art form at this point. Most complements of Kobe are either back-handed in some way or come with a comparison to some former great (mostly Jordan of course) that shows Kobe is inferior.

One aspect of Kobe's career though is almost universally admired: his work ethic. In his recent interview with Ahmad Rashad on NBA-TV, Kobe talked about how he didn't even realize his work ethic was so great it was just what he did. He didn't realize it was above and beyond until he got to the NBA and saw other guys weren't working the same way. This work ethic was always impressive, but it wasn't until the last few years that people saw it for really what it was: maniacal.

He was always the first in the gym, even after injuries. In fact he played through almost every injury you could think of, including this shoulder tear that he's apparently had for quite a while. His work ethic was such that even the great young players of today were inspired by it. There's countless stories over the years (here's a few) of how the way he worked was something people had never seen before. Those stories have been an inspiration to Laker fans everywhere.

Now Kobe's work ethic has become a measuring stick for any and all newcomers. We as Laker fans expect the next player to lead us to the Championship to be just like Kobe. We expect him to be a cold-blooded killer on the court, to not take prisoners, to work harder than anybody else in the game. We expect him to hold his teammates accountable even if that means saying or doing something difficult. We expect the next player to carry Kobe's mantle forward to BE the NEXT Kobe. Fair or not we expect our next star to carry Kobe's legacy and his persona forward into a bright Laker future.

The problem is Kobe spent so much time working on his craft and on his interests that he never formed tight bonds with anybody. Detailed in Ahmad Rashad's Interview with Kobe, and the GQ interview that dropped not long after, Kobe never had time to be a great friend because he's just too focused on his own work. In that GQ article he says he doesn't have time to sit around with people and BS because he's too busy focused on his own interests.

Kobe doesn't have a social life with most NBA players. His interactions with them are almost always professional or involve a workout of some kind. Most consider Kobe socially awkward and unable to have that kind of relationship with people. He's so focused on his basketball career that it took a catastrophic Achilles injury to force him to focus on life after basketball; to consider what comes next? He'd sacrificed any semblance of normalcy for his legacy. Kobe wanted so badly to win that he's become nothing else BUT that.

So are we as fans expecting too much of the next franchise star to don a Laker jersey? Is it too much to ask that the next player to get the Lakers to the promise land sacrifice as much as Kobe did? We as Laker fans shunned Dwight Howard because he didn't capitulate to Kobe's awesome demands. Howard, like Shaq before him, wanted to win a "different way". However, unlike Shaq before him Howard might be incapable of winning that "different way".

That doesn't necessarily mean it can't be done though. Before Kobe took up the mantle of carrying the Lakers, Magic carried that load. Magic partied as much or more than any of the players in the NBA today. Magic was always a host to social gatherings and won with a huge smile on his face. The difference between Magic and Howard of course being that Magic could separate that fun from basketball. On the court, Magic wanted to win as much as anybody ever has. His battles with Larry Bird and Michael Jordan are legendary, despite being able to have fun when he wasn't playing.

The next Laker star is in for a tumultuous ride. Whether that person is Julius Randle, maybe one of the kid's coming in this 2015 NBA Draft, or a player on another team right now, he is going to have his hands full competing with the shadows of Kobe Bryant. Every second that person isn't working out, fans will wonder, "why not"? Every time that player is caught out at a night club, we'll say, "Kobe wouldn't have done that"! Hey if Kobe could get up at 3 AM to be the first person the gym working on his off-hand or his post game or his shooting form with a cast on his fingers... If Kobe can be a maniac for 19 seasons, why can't the next guy keep up? Not every player can be Kobe Bryant. In fact not every great player achieves that greatness the way Kobe did.

As much as I'll miss watching Kobe Bryant in a Laker uniform in the coming years, I look forward to the next incarnation of Laker greatness. Will that player be a cold-blooded winner who doesn't need friends like Kobe? Will that player be a dominating physical presence with an even more dominating personality like Shaq? Will that player be a visionary like Magic? Maybe an aloof, unstoppable giant like Kareem? A quiet, diligent worker like West? A dynamic athlete like Baylor?

Whoever he is, I'm going to try to appreciate him for his own personality and his own quirks. It'll be impossible not to compare him to Kobe Bryant but hopefully we can, as Kobe would say, appreciate the process.

 

Thanks Snake!

I know what you're saying and I have the same hope. I think a lot of Laker fans on this site are completely willing to embrace the next franchise player for who they are, at least at first. I think that's especially true if that player ends up being one of our draft picks. I think we at LB would love to watch one of our guys grow and develop into the next big thing in their own way.

However at the same time we ran Howard out of town for not being like Kobe. I know for myself at least that I found myself quickly getting angry at Nash for not being able to play through his injuries like Kobe did. I was angry at Pau for not being tougher like Kobe was.

That shadow is going to be there and part of me thinks that if the next player is Durant or Westbrook or some other half-way established star, we as fans are going to shoe him into the Kobe Bryant role. If it's a young cat that still has a long way to develop, we might be more lenient.

I just wanted to remind Laker fans two things: 1) Kobe is one of a kind and a once in a lifetime player and 2) there's been a pantheon of great Lakers and like you said each of them lead in their own way. It'll be sad to see Kobe go, but part of me is really beginning to look forward to the next guy and what he will bring.

 

I'm not sure I understand your title. If you are asking if the next Laker star needs to be a Kobe clone to be embraced by Laker fans, the examples you gave of Magic and Shaq who were both HUGE fan favorites answers your question.

Lakers fans have embraced:

Jerry West / Elgin / Wilt / Kareem / Magic / Worthy / Byron / Rambis / Coop / AC Green / Nick Van Exel / Eddie Jones / Ceballos / Shaq / Kobe / Pau / LO / Swaggy

That's a very broad spectrum of personalities. A few players on that list weren't even champions.

I think most knowledgeable fans realize that another Kobe is not walking through that door anytime in the next decade or three.

 

I do agree that the natural progression would be a big-man next or at least not a SG type.

We started with Mikan, then Baylor, then West, then Kareem, then Magic, then Shaq, and then Kobe... Oh yeah with some Worthy, Gasol, and Wilt mixed in there. It's easier to forge your own path when your path isn't so easily aligned with another person's. Kobe's path as a wing will certainly be a hard act to follow.

That's actually why I think Randle COULD be that guy. He's got the mentality and he brings a unique skill set to the team. A 6'9" guy with his strength and athleticism who can bring the ball up the floor? I mean he doesn't quite fit into any of the Lakers' previous categories. If he keeps developing (and gets healthy), it could definitely be him.

 

And yet here we are on this site constantly comparing players to Kobe. We use Kobe as the benchmark to say why LeBron isn't as great. We sided with Kobe when Howard was here.

I agree that we as fans can certainly accept the next generation, but it's not going to be as easy as I think you make it seem.

Besides the point isn't necessarily for us, but for the next person coming through. How many players WANT to step into that shadow? JSM pointed out that few players wanted to step into Michael's. How will Kobe's differ?

 

I guess I'll just disagree then. Laker fans were already fully embracing Julius Randle before his injury, not because they saw Kobe in him, but they saw a spark of his own potential greatness.

Fans LOVE Swaggy P, and I could describe him as the Anti-Kobe.

 

You don't think Julius Randle has some Kobe in him? I gravitated towards the kid too, but that's because I absolutely saw some Kobe in him. The way he controlled the ball and tempo in Summer League. The way he casually commands double and triple teams. His answers with the media, his confidence. Kobe was his favorite player growing up. I see a lot of similarities in their styles actually.

And do you not agree with the other side of the coin? That players might not want to step into that shadow?

 

No, I don't really see Kobe in Randle. Magic was Kobe's favorite growing up but I see MJ not Magic in him.

I absolutely agree that a lot of players would hesitate to step into Kobe's shadow. I didn't really see that as the main point of your post though. I was disagreeing with whether Laker fans will hold other players to the Kobe standard, or whether they embrace them for their own talent and personality.

 

I'm pretty surprised you don't see any Kobe in Randle. I see a lot of it, but maybe that's just me. Kobe might say Magic was his favorite player growing up, but he idolized Mike. He made Mike the standard with which to base himself off of. I'm not saying Randle is doing that with Kobe in terms of what they do on the floor, but Randle already has exhibited some very Kobe-esque behaviors and mannerisms to the media.

And again, I'm not saying we WON'T accept the next star, but that the next star shouldn't be judged by what Kobe has done. You may disagree with me, but we already did that once with Howard. It turned out to be the right call, but what's to say that doesn't happen again with someone like Durant if that ends up happening? We as fans will adjust and accept whichever player chooses to come to LA, but I still think that player's tenure as a Laker will be measured against Kobe to a large degree by a large number of Laker fans.

 

Again, I'll disagree. I didn't reject Howard for his lack of Kobe characteristics. I would have embraced Howard if he had shown 50% of the fire that Shaq or even Pau had in their best moments. I rejected Howard because he proved to be a soft diva.

You and I both know that IF Durant ever makes his way here the entire city will instantly fall in love with him.

 

Oh I think that would happen for sure at first. You'd see the billboards and the headlines and the fun stuff. But heaven forbid Durant has a cold streak or something or the team misses the playoffs even built around Durant. You know what I mean? When the going gets tough I think the next star is going to have a firestorm of comparisons and negativity because they're not Kobe or Magic. Durant is already 7 years deep and has only made one Finals appearance. I just wonder if we can temper expectations to meet the personnel.

Then again our expectations right now are so rock bottom... one Finals appearance sounds like Heaven compared to this.

 

At the gym guys I'll get back to you. Thanks for the responses!