A five-time champion, 18-time All-Star, 30,000-point scorer, two-time Finals MVP, MVP award winner, and owner of the second-highest individual scoring effort in NBA history, who could this be? You may have heard of this player, his name is Kobe Bean Bryant. On April 13, 2016, Kobe played the last game of his long and storied career. Looking back, you have to respect and be in awe of what he has done, not only for the Los Angeles Lakers but for the NBA as a whole. He is the closest thing I have seen to Michael Jordan, and that is saying something considering that he is one of the greatest players of all time.
But as much respect as Mr. Bryant deserves for all of those accolades, he also deserves at least some criticism for the way he played. More often than not, Kobe has been the best player on his team, so naturally he took more shots than the rest of his teammates. This is where the beef I have with Kobe begins (see what I did there?). Kobe took this mindset to the extreme, sometimes taking more shots than the rest of the starting five combined, even on a bad shooting night. On most nights he would very rarely pass, and when he did he would want the ball back so he could shoot. He is the prime example of what many people call "The Ball Hog," also known as the worst teammate an athlete could ask for. His style of play only made him better and was not concerned with his other four teammates at all. This was a problem especially when Kobe's career winded down and the Lakers had younger players they were trying to develop for the future. His stubbornness and refusal to change his role to help the younger players is one of the reasons the Lakers are the laughingstock of the NBA right now. His last game is a perfect example of this. Kobe took 50 shots whereas the rest of his teammates combined to take 35 shots. Although they won the game, it just looks bad when one player takes over half of a team's shots.
What makes it worse is that many of the young players coming into the NBA now idolize Kobe and have modeled their game after him, so while we are losing the original, countless attempted duplicates are entering the league. Basketball is the ultimate team sport and it requires all five players to work together to reach their full potential. The "Iso" style of play that Kobe made work for so long is much more boring to watch than a team like the San Antonio Spurs, who emphasize ball movement and do not care who scores. Teams that keep the ball moving and not let it get stuck in one player's hands are generally more successful. While the man many call "The Black Mamba" will be missed for all of his success and what he brought to the league, his playing style will certainly not be missed.
