I was never into the NBA when Kobe was in his prime. I got into the NBA around 2014-2015 when LeBron went back to the Cavaliers and the dominance of the Golden State Warriors which was during Kobe’s twilight years. So my view of Kobe is mainly at looking back at his career and I do not understand the hype. I can see how Kobe is a top 10/15 NBA players of all time but I do not see him being top 5. Honestly I have him barely into the top 10 at the 10 spot. So can someone explain to me Kobe’s greatness that should put him in the top 5 echelon? I am not trying to downplay Kobe or his achievements, I am genuinely asking.
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He was a man that is beyond stats in a way that nerds now need for validating why they like a player. “Dawg” how the kids say it or just a plain ol UNHINGED COMPETITOR, Kobe was a diet MJ for the millennial/ older gen z kids.
I also think especially for laker fans that are homers , the fact that he stuck with this franchise and became the face of it through good, bad to worse times… it bonds a community to someone forever.
the distance between the top 5 guy and the top 10 guy is very short compared to the difference between the top 5 and the goat.
so saying you’re not impressed by a guy that makes the top 10 is really confusing.
He was the best tough shot maker of all time with amazing fundamentals and an elite two way player. Kobe had the footwork, size, , post work, dribbling, jump shot, etc you want from your starting two guard but on top of that he was a menace when defending the perimeter and he took a lot of tough unguardable shots which would usually result in ridiculously inefficient scoring for most players but Kobe was still able to be above league average efficiency with the tough shot selection.
Come playoff time when the game slows down to a low scoring half court offense Kobe’s skillset became much more valuable
Because people watched him play and felt it was that great?
I don’t have him near top 5 but this idea fans have today that you need to rank every top whatever number of all-time players based on basketball reference resumes is about.
Most of his best games are on YouTube. It’s not like he was in the 1950s and you need someone in their 70s to explain it. Watching someone play > reading stats and accolades
If you can see how Kobe is a top 10/15 player all time, then how come you don’t get the hype?
A lot of people see Kobe in the 9-12 spots, and I haven’t seen a consensus for Kobe in the top 5 to begin with.
But to answer the question - in addition to the rings, the resume, and the game, Kobe also played for the most glamorous franchise in the league (and in the running for ritziest sports franchise in the world), and if that wasn’t enough, his career arc also played like a Hollywood drama. Enters the NBA as the prodigy, then becomes the charismatic sidekick to Shaq. Wins the threepeat, then the drama becomes too much, the Colorado incident happens, and suddenly Kobe is the pariah. He becomes the Black Mamba, goes into ronin mode, drops 62 in 3 quarters and 81 in Toronto, but struggles to lead his team deep into the playoffs. Lakers make the Gasol trade, he wins MVP, leads the Redeem Team in '08, rehabs his image as the workaholic who wakes up at 4am to practice, takes the Lakers to b2b titles. Morphs into the ageing great who still has it, the living legend, until he tears his achilles - and that is when you got into the NBA. You weren’t there for everything before. And even then, he drops 60 in his last ever game.
In addition to everything else, he was larger than life, and encapsulated Hollywood like no other LA sports star since Magic. For me, that’s why there was and still is so much Kobe hype.