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Shortly after the 2004 NBA season, I remember flipping through the channels one night and I stopped on the Jay Leno show. I’m not a fan of Leno’s but Phil Jackson was his guest and they were discussing the 2004 NBA season.
This was after the Lakers were defeated by the Pistons in five games and LA decided to part ways with Phil. Kobe Bryant was the main topic of discussion.
Jackson didn’t hide his animosity for Kobe.
Leno playfully asked Phil which team he would pull for when Kobe and Shaq met the following season. Phil smiled and indicated he would be rooting for O’Neal. Of course, this brought laughter from the audience.
But the thing that stuck with me the most was Phil saying that he thought Kobe’s ultimate goal was to win more NBA championships than Bill Russell. Bryant was only 25 years old at the time and owned three NBA championships.
Given his potential and his age, it wasn’t beyond the realm of possibility to believe Bryant could one day eclipse Russell’s ring total.
That ship has sailed.
Kobe is 29 now. He’s played in five NBA Finals, winning three rings as the second option to Shaquille O’Neal.
The player to whom Kobe is most often compared to — Michael Jordan — retired for the second time with six rings. MJ was 35 at the time.
Bryant remains at the top of his game but how many seasons does he have left? Six? Seven?
How many of those seasons will be at peak athleticism? Remember, no player in NBA history has accumulated more mileage at such a young age. Kobe has played 866 regular season games, 152 playoff games (almost two full seasons).
No, Bryant won’t pass Russell. But he still has an opportunity to pass Jordan, Magic and Bird.
Magic advanced to the NBA Finals 9 times in 11 seasons. Johnson ended his career with five NBA championships.
Due to illness, Magic retired in 1991—shortly after his last Finals appearance. Johnson made a brief comeback in 1996 but he never won another NBA championship.
Bird advanced to the NBA Finals 5 times in 13 seasons. Larry ended his career with three NBA championships.
Bird played in his last NBA Finals in 1987. The Celtics lost to Magic’s Lakers in six games. Larry was just 30 years old. Kevin McHale was 29. I’m sure the Celtics thought they would get another crack at an NBA championship.
Bird played five more seasons and never reached the Finals again. The Pistons advanced to the next three NBA Finals, winning two of those NBA championships. Michael’s Bulls assumed the mantle in 1991.
Nothing is guaranteed.
The Lakers have a talented young roster. But so do the New Orleans Hornets and Portland Trailblazers. Chris Paul and David West will only improve. Brandon Roy and Greg Oden will be a force to reckon with. The Utah Jazz aren’t going anywhere.
Three NBA championships, two scoring titles, and a handful of All-NBA and All-Defensive team selections won’t be enough to crack the top-ten players of all-time. Much less pass Jordan or Russell.
Bryant has work to do.
The clock is ticking.
June 19th, 2008 at 9:47 am
Interesting read Hoffman. One has to really understand the value of true objectivity and this article shows that about you since I know how much you appreciate KB24.
Alot of people will look at this years Finals and try and cement Kobe’s legacy in and around the 6 games he played against the Celtics. I say “he played” because thats basically what the series turned out to be: the Celtics against Kobe Bryant. I said it before and I’ll say it again, if the Lakers simply give us their averages they actually would have swept the Celtics. They were in position to win every single game (except for game 6). Kobe was abandoned on the court by his young team, Kobe abandoned himself by not reaching deeper into his IQ of basketball to come up with an alternative to some of the stupid mistakes that turned into turnovers when the ball was in his hands.
Will Kobe win more rings? Maybe. It depends on the coaching prowess available and the team that is around him. One man will not win a Championship. Bill, Magic, Jordan, Bird, and even Shaq had an x-factor that all the so called purist and analyst never or rarely speak of: Consistent and All Around Support. Not just an exciting bench but a consistent and all around bench that scores, rebounds, defends, hustles, and protects what they believe belongs to them. Kobe does not have that. I love my Lakers but acknowledge their weaknesses and failures. From Phil’s refusal to change to Kobe’s “God Complex”. Phil failed Kobe, Kobe failed Phil and the Lakers failed everyone.
That’s the thing about team sports, the great player is restricted by the team he is chained to. They are hopelessly defined by the failures, successes, and almost invisible nuances of the action and non-actions of the unit. In war the Fireteam must move and “Think” as one or they will die. So must it be in sports. Especially Basketball. The Bulls understood it, The Celtics understood it, the Spurs live it, and the Lakers talked about it. The Lakers as a unit died in hostile territory because they refused to sacrifice their body to take a charge, they refused to stop whinning about calls, they played the blame game after errant passes, and somehow forgot to respect the shooting prowess of Ray Allen.
Yes the clock is ticking but the clock has never stopped it’s onward march into eternity. The sweet face of opportunity will forever fade in and out of view for the man in the arena and for those who watch. For the combatant, they must grab each opportunity, bite down, and tighten their grip like a dying wolf just before it’s last breath. For the fan, you, me, and even the subjective voyer who yells hot, yet empty statements out; for us, we must continue to watch, appreciate, and understand the nuances of every victory and sadly every defeat.
June 19th, 2008 at 10:41 am
Sensei,
Thanks.
Kobe’s shot selection left a lot to be desired. Boston did a fantastic job of closing the gaps but I still believe Kobe settled for too many jumpshots. He just didn’t attack enough.
I just wish the Lakers had played with more fire. More urgency. Another shot at a championships isn’t guaranteed. No one’s career is as picture perfect as MJ’s was.