Kobe Bryant’s Legacy in the Next Two Years

Main Author: Hassan Fofana Sports Consultant & Field Agent
Contact: time2ballinc@gmail.com
Twitter: @Time2ballinc
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Kobe Bryant’s Legacy in the Next Two Years

 On August 23^rd, jersey number 24, Kobe BRYANT, aka “the Black Mamba,” will celebrate his 34^th birthday. Entering his 17^th year of a very successful professional career, ladled with great accomplishments, Kobe Bryant is now approaching the end of his career despite being still relatively young compared to most veteran athletes. Furthermore, as athletes grow old, typically there is a regression in their performance which makes me believe even more that Kobe Bryant is far from retirement. Last year, with 1,161 games under his belt, Kobe was competing against one of the most prolific scorers in the NBA, Kevin Durant, for the NBA scoring title, a title that Durant had won for the past three years. Regardless of your outlook on Kobe Bryant’s character, putting aside all of the off-court controversy and concentrating on his ability as an athlete on the court, one can recognize the man’s dominance. It is true that his off-court activities has affected his interactions with his teammates and coaches; however, one thing that everyone who knows or has worked with Kobe Bryant can attest to is his will to win and his incredible work ethic.

         Although Kobe Bryant has not shown any sign of slowing down, it is safe to say that the Black Mamba is not as lethal as he once was; however, because of his announcement, after winning another gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics, that he definitely would not be participating in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, this indicates that he is approaching the end of his career. I can honestly see him retiring after winning one or two more championships. Look, I am not going to make any bold predictions, but with the addition of Dwight Howard, the Lakers are a serious contender to win the west and, in my book, they will give Lebron James, Chris Bosh, Dwayne Wade and the reigning Champions, the Miami Heat, a run for their money.

As a side note, Kobe Bryant understands that the walls are closing in on his opportunity to win another championship and I am certain that within the final two years left with his Lakers contract, Kobe will improve his position on the all-time NBA scoring list when he surpasses number 4, Wilt Chamberlain. Kobe is currently the 5^th on the list with 29,484 points. Defeating Chamberlain is no minor feat as he scored 31,419 throughout his career and he is the only player to ever score 100 points in a single game nearly 50 years ago. Kobe follows Chamberlain with 81 points in a single game in 2006 when he and the Lakers destroyed the Toronto Raptors.

        Nevertheless, assuming that the new Lakers, Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, stay injury free throughout the entire season, I predict that LA will win the 2012-2013 NBA Championship. And, if my prediction comes true, this will be Kobe’s 6^th ring –  two more than big man rival, Shaquille O’Neal, and equal to Michael Jordan. This is even more interesting as Kobe is also in a great position to surpass Jordan, who is currently 3^rd on the all-time leaders in points scored with 32,292 pts. From an early age, Number 24 has always looked up to and measured himself and his game against his idol, Michael Jeffrey Jordan, aka “Air Jordan,” but with only 2809 points between these two scoring beasts, it is possible for Kobe to surpass M.J. this season. More realistically, however, I believe it will happen early next season unless the Lakers win it all this year. Now, if everything I envision happens as planned, how will Kobe Bryant’s legacy be defined in comparison to Michael Jordan if he surpasses MJ in points and have more than or an equal number of championships as him?

                   

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