SLAM 136: On Sale Now!
There’s never a bad time for a Kobe cover…but this is a really good time.
by Russ Bengtson (@russbengtson)
Kobe Bryant sits before a group of journalists in L.A.—on the Forum floor, no less—and he’s talking about SLAM covers. Not this cover of this issue that you’re looking at now, seeing that we hadn’t shot it (or even set up the time to shoot it) yet, but a SLAM cover for that other guy who has had more covers than him, the one who retired but didn’t. No, the other one. “Y’all gotta do one with him in Philly now,” he says. “It’s a good look.”
What’s that? Is Kobe Bryant sounding…content? A little while later, someone 
asks him straight-up about his competitiveness. Does it carry over off the court? His answer is exaggerated, delivered with that familiar half-smirk: “Noooooo, why would I do that? Not at all.” The laughter comes from everyone, most of all Kobe himself. It’s pushed further—someone suggests the original questioner challenge Kobe to a game of NBA 2K10. And just like that, playtime is over: “Yeah, you talk to Melo,” Kobe fires back, “ask him what happened with that game.” Well, that about covers that.
Last night Kobe passed mentor and friend Jerry West to become the Lakers’s all-time leading scorer, dropping 44 points on the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s reaching new milestones daily, at the point in his career where each accomplishment is something else for the Hall of Fame plaque. When he laces them up on February 8th to take on the San Antonio Spurs, he’ll play in his thousandth regular-season game. Sure, it might not happen on that night. He could miss a game between now and then to rest his fractured fingers and sprained right ankle. But that’s not what Kobe does. That’s not who Kobe is.
A long time ago, some idiot wrote the following words in the pages of this very magazine: “I’m not sure if anyone really understands Kobe Bryant. In fact, I’m not even sure if Kobe Bryant really understands Kobe Bryant.” We ran them twice, actually—the second time in our 10th Anniversary issue—and went so far as to dub him “The Enigma,” like he wore a question mark instead of a number eight. Yes, some things about Kobe were hard to understand. But his center, his essence, that should have been clear even then: Kobe Bryant wanted to be the best player to ever play the game of basketball. We were missing the tree for the forest. What idiot, what moron, what brainless hack would even suggest that Kobe didn’t even understand himself? Yep, that would be me.
If anything, Kobe can be too easy to read sometimes. Like Mike, he’s polished and prepared in interview settings, but also like Mike, he can’t keep that competitive fire tamped all the way down. He just can’t help himself. It’s funny too—the first time I sat down with Kobe for an extended interview, he insisted he was nothing like Michael Jordan. I believe the words he used were “totally different.” He was 21, just coming off his first championship, and it was clearly untrue even then, but the way he said it left no room for arguing.
Now, 10 years later, he seems not only willing to accept the comparison, but he’ll even be the one to bring it up. Near the end 
of our Q&A session in New York, which took place after we did get him shot (by world-renowned photographer Martin Schoeller, no less) I ask him whether there are inherent conflicts between the career-long goal of becoming the best player ever and the year-to-year goal of winning championships. He doesn’t even hesitate:
“No, I think the trick is to win. For all of Michael’s individual brilliance, he never would have been considered arguably the greatest of all time had he not won. It’s just as simple as that. And to do that, you have to have some kind of luck, because you have to have teammates around you. I mean, he played with one of the all-time greats in Scottie Pippen. So you have to have a support system around you to help you accomplish those things. So I don’t think those lines are blurred at all. You have to win. There’s been a lot of great individual players in the past—Dominique Wilkins, Bernard King—these guys were talented individuals. But they couldn’t get over that hump.”
Kobe’s been over that hump four times now, placing him neatly between Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and tied with Shaquille O’Neal. The championship question has been answered. He’s won. But he’s still two behind Jordan and he’s only been named Finals MVP once and despite all the accomplishments there’s so much left to do. After the cover discussion dies down in L.A., I ask whether winning the title last year refreshed him:
“It made me hungrier. It made me hungrier, if that makes any sense. It’s like, OK, we’ve got it. I’m in the party now—before I was outside in the street, like begging Phoenix and them to let me in. Now we got in, kicked them out, now you can’t come in. We gonna hold our house down.”
- Heat Sell-Out Season; Fire Sales Staff
- Blazers Willing to Trade Rudy for Taj Gibson?
- On Top Again
- Knicks Offering Shannon Brown $4M Per Year?
- NBA To Reveal Marquee Games Tuesday
- Video: Tyreke Evans Reckless Driving 130 MPH
- Mahmoud Abdul-Rauf Going Strong in Japan
- Jordan Retro II
- Von Wafer Talks About Joining Celtics
- The WNBA and Diversity
- Subscribe to Slamonline »
-
Photos: Hard to Get
Josh Selby is B-More’s latest, greatest baller.
- Wallpaper: SLAM First Team All-Americans
Kyrie, Brandon, Harrison, Jared and Perry are 2010’s best.
I kid. Dope cover. Love the clear logo. War metaphor a plus. You guys left nothing in the chamber on this one.
1: Jordan
2: Kobe
3: Iverson
4: LeBron
everyone else.
1. Snake eyes check
2. small nose check
3.menancing eyes
4. Both are related to snakes
5. Many other reasons
lol
@Jordan: That cover was black and white and we bought it from the photog. This one was shot for us, which is a great feeling.
You don’t get newstand purcases with Joe Johnson on the cover.
-James: page 73 is the nba photo store page; what’s the misprint?
@Dimitris - Yep, I agree.
@Complainers - SLAM isn’t a charity; they are a business. They want to sell magazines. Kobe sells magazines. Kobe is also still the best player in the game. What is there to complain about?
Kobe bryant is a Weapon of Mass Destruction
Kobe is far inferior to Jordan. If Kobe came first and Jordan came second, people would be talking about there was this player who is everything Kobe is, but twice as athletic and plays defense night in and night out, and not just when he feels like ‘locking someone down.’
I GET the came comparisons… but I really feel like some people just remember the 32 to 35-year-old Jordan, and not the 24-year-old destructive force Jordan was.
@JoeMaMa: No.
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2425198080/tt0399295
Offensively, what is the difference between Kobe and Jordan? Cause I would say that Kobe is a better shooter than Jordan. He has better footwork too. So why do I think Jordan is better offensively?
I would say Jordan was almost twice as fast as Kobe was at the age of 24.
I would say Jordan had a second more hangtime than Kobe.
Kobe Bryant’s vertical is 38 inches… Jordan had a 45 inch on average, rumored to even reach 48 inches when they unofficially tested him at UNC.
Not to mention, Jordan would push around Kobe like a ragdoll when they played.
Kobe is a fantastic physical specimen, he can jump over players, bully other guards, and run circles around NBA players half his age. But he’s lesser in every single way compared to Jordan.
So, take a superior physical specimen and give him the points and rebounds that Kobe just can’t get… and throw in -superior- court vision (Jordan’s 36 minute assist numbers look identical to Kobe’s full numbvers) and -superior defense- (I’ll even go as far to say that Kobe and Jordan are equally as good man-on-man despite Kobe liking to take off possessions.. but Jordan’s team defense was farrrr better).
It’s just not close.
Kobe and Jordan are very close, skill wise.
Jordan’s athleticism, court-vision, and overall basketball IQ is FAR greater, I could use the word ’superior’ to Kobe’s, and that’s why Jordan is the superior player. And every single person the planet, just like Magic, just like Phil Jackson, will admit that freely if asked.
And of course Kobe will be the best Laker if he wins more championships cause he’ll have six championships to Magic’s 5. I’d still build my team around Magic seven days of the week and twice on Sunday.
I think Jordan is the best ever, no question. But Kobe came into a different situation. If he has another 3, 4 years resulting in titles and another 27, 28pg/g, you’ve got to start a discussion. Also, I could see Kobe taking a pay cut in the last few years to grab another 2 titles. We wants the glory that bad.
Last thing: comparing stats from different eras is practically impossible. Different rules, different number of teams, different offensive/defensive mentalities, different situations on the team.
But…like I said. Jordan - Best.
Alright, let me explain some simple concepts first:
The basket is higher up on the ground than an average person’s arm length. Ten feet actually. The ability to jump plays a pivotal role in basketball. Likewise, the court is very long, and speed comes into a factor as well, not just getting up and down the court, but running by guys who may prevent you from getting a basket. Strength also plays a huge role in basketball.
Kobe has a great jump shot. Fantastic even. His footwork and ball handling is impeccable. But so was Jordan’s though. Jordan’s jumper was wet from day one: sure, he never had three point range, but right out of High School, Jordan had a sick-midrange game. Jordan’s footwork was as fundamental as it was flashy, and I’d say he had more moves than Kobe does from anywhere on the court. So, skillwise, they’re very close.
SO THAT’S WHY THE ATHLETES COMES INTO PLAY DUDE.
Also, I’m not talking about Jordan with Pippen/Grant/Rodman. That Jordan simply locked his man down and occassionally played the passing lanes, but his goal was offense.
I’m talking about the Jordan before the championships. I’m talking about the Jordan who you were too young to remember… Before the trade for Grant and the draft of Pippen. I’m talking about the Jordan on a so-so defensive team. The Jordan who would lock his man down every night, the Jordan who would score 30 but also get steals and block shots. I know you hate stats, but you see, when Kobe was going crazy and averaging 35 points, he was only getting under two steals and not bothering to go for any blocks– playing man-on-man defense was hard enough. When Jordan was getting 35, he was getting three steals and over a block and a half! To have the STAMINA and WILLPOWER to not only score 35 and lock your man down, but block weakside shots (he did) and disrupt passing lanes (he did) is something unfathomable in this day and age. It simply isn’t done. It’s not something Kobe can do, ever.
The entire interview seemed to suggest Bryant was an plain offensive player and Jordan was a complete package… but I guess we’ll take what we want out of it.
Oh, by the way, the most steals that Kobe ever had in a season was 181. The most blocks he ever had in a season was 67.
But what The Seed fails to realize, that Jordan and Kobe are neck and neck in terms of offense… but Jordan is just so much better in terms of defense, rebounds, passing, leadership, basketball IQ, energy, and making those AROUND HIM better.
End of story.
2. Kobe foreva…
when is joe johnson gonna get a cover?
when is tyreke gonna get a cover?
when is a high school prep star gonna grace the cover? (like lebron nd oden did) havent got mine in the mail yet but im pretty sure its gonna b great articles. but keep it fresh with the covers SLAM…
Kobe is the realness. Lebron needs a ring before he can be taken seriously. Truth. If he doesn’t do it this year, then we should all chip in to pay for him to have “chosen one” lazered off his underachieving shoulders. Don’t get me wrong, he’s still a very good player, but he’s no Kobe and sure as hell no Jordan. This whole “changing my no next year” rubbish that he’s talking is maybe about 6yrs too late. You have that much hype around you before you enter the league and you use 23 as your no.? Fu(k that noise. He clearly had it in his head he was going to walk in a take over the L. Since he’s joined, Wade, Bryant and the whole Detroit Pistons have got rings and Little Bron-Bron doesn’t. Talk stats all you want. That one right there is the only one that matters. Sweet cover.
P.S If anyone wants to get at me on xbox live NBA 2k10 (TDOT 4 EVA)
Comments