Darth Kobe is my favorite BSO article of all time— but  the deepest and best articles I have ever written was…

KARMA KOBE

Written the day after the 2008 NBA Finals, the one where the majority of media types including myself picked the Lakers, led by Kobe Bryant to beat the Boston Celtics.

A lot of us overlooked all of the “decisions” and “actions” Kobe had made in the past and before he could ascend, he had to be humble.

Here is a small excerpt from what I said back in 08.

Kobe the basketball player has changed not because Kobe the person has changed but because he has better personnel to deal with. It is easier to trust your teammates when your teammates aren’t garbage.

I should have seen it because now it is very clear to see. Kobe was getting back to the NBA Finals against their arch rivals with a chance to become an immortal. If the Lakers played the Pistons, they would have swept them. But they were playing the Boston Celtics with superstars who happen to be some of the most well-respected and well-liked players in the league.

Is anyone more unselfish that Kevin Garnett? Is there anyone in the league who doesn’t respect Ray Allen? Is there a player who has suffered more under the weight of a historic franchise than Paul Pierce?

I should have seen it. I was right. It was meant to be, but not for Kobe because he doesn’t deserve it. You have to reap what you sow, and, in this case, Kobe has to realize, at this time, it wasn’t meant to be.

When you start at the top of the mountain and then fall all the way to the bottom, you have to make a choice. Are you going to make that sacrifice to climb all the way back up while carrying others with you? Or, alternatively, are you going to climb up pulling down anyone in your way just so you can get to the top first? Kobe made the second choice and. when he got to the top of that mountain. he realized he was alone. When you are alone at the top, it is a much harder fall down to the bottom.

One series, one series to become an immortal was the challenge I presented to Kobe Bryant. But what I failed to realize is that, to become an immortal, Kobe has to understand that he is mortal and, that in life, your actions have consequences.

An immortal? Not yet.

Kobe took that knockdown, dusted himself off, and won back to back championships. It made him a better player, teammate and stronger person.

In 2008, social media and sports/gossip blogs were just starting to crack the mainstream, but the time The Summer of Lebron started in 2010, it had reached the point where now anyone with an internet connection could have their opinions heard.

Lebron has been surrounded by yes men for the majority of his life and he has never faced much pushed back until this.

One miscalculation turned someone who was generally liked into a “villain”. You have to have a certain DNA to handle being a “villain”— you can’t be sensitive, and more important than that, you can’t be “fake”.

Once you become the “villain”,  people who used to overlook certain things will take a closer look. People who have been secretly jealous and envious of you will use the opportunity to fuel the flames.

I think Lebron thought people would talk about his “Decision” for a couple of days and then move on— because he is Lebron James and the people are his “witnesses”.

But it didn’t quite work out like that and he reacted like someone who doesn’t have a truth-teller who can look him in the eye and tell him that some of the things he’s doing isn’t helping him, but is hurting him.

It wasn’t the fact that he left with Cleveland. He was a free agent  and he could have played for Globetrotters if that was his desire.   It wasn’t the fact he teamed up with Bosh and Wade because, once again, they played within the rules.

It was how he left.

He left like a villain expecting to still be the hero.

He lashed out at anyone who dared to say anything negative about the King.  He made lists, declared National Hater Holidays, played the race card and with every tweet, comment, and quote, he dug himself a deeper a whole.

It is a cliche, but there is a price for fame.  It doesn’t matter if it is a little fame or a lot of fame— you have to make some sacrifices.

Lebron was conflicted as much off the court as he was on the court.  Many times, he had the gun locked and loaded, but wasn’t willing to pull the trigger.

If you are looking at things clearly and without bias, Lebron James had an amazing season.  With all the scrutiny, criticisms, wild rumors, controversy and playing with a Top 5 player next to him, he still averaged ….

27, 7, 7

You could make a strong argument he was the league MVP and he was the driving force behind the Heat making the NBA Finals.  Go back and watch the Eastern Conference Finals while D Wade struggle and it was Lebron who clearly outplayed and locked down Derrick Rose.

But legacies aren’t built in the Eastern Conference Final—, they are built in the NBA Finals.

I predicted what might happen to Lebron in the Finals  in my Lebron James = Arod article, back July.

After 7 years of carrying a team and a city on his back, Lebron wanted to breathe.  He didn’t want that responsibility of being the sole reason a team won or lost.  He didn’t want to be in a position where the only way for his team to win was by him being the leading scorer, rebounder, assist/steals/blocks guy every single night.  He was tired of trying to make the Mo Williams of the world into All-Stars.  He wanted to be a big fish in an ocean, not a fishbowl.

I hope he understands that if the Heat don’t win a championship they aren’t going to blame D-Wade and they aren’t going to blame Chris Bosh.  They are going to blame the self-proclaimed King.

This brings us back to the present day.

I wanted to wait a few days to write this article to allow the slander to calm down a bit, so hopefully people can see this logically.  Before the NBA Finals, I wrote a piece called “It’s Time Lebron” where I wrote:

Right now, starting today is when Lebron can start making his legacy.  Everything about Lebron has been leading up to this point.  From the Hummer to the Decision, this is what it has been been about.  If he fails, he doesn’t just fail his team and himself, he fails his legacy.

It wasn’t Lebron’s time just like it wasn’t Kobe’s on that fateful night in the Boston Garden.  To athletes who don’t really care about their legacy, life is easy.

Do you think Vince Carter cares about being ringless?

When Lebron in a rare honest moment went in on his critics in essence saying “my life is better than yours”, while I understood it, it made me wonder if he has that fire, or as Deion Sanders says, “that dog” in him.

If he didn’t understand before, he understand now he is the VILLAIN.

There is two ways to handle that: he can embrace it or he can run from it, like he ran from all the 4th quarters of the NBA Finals.  Lebron is 26 years old. and even though he has been in the league for eight years, I don’t think he has even hit is “prime”.

The Heat will be competing for titles for the upcoming years, but if this year taught us anything it is that they aren’t going to be given anything— and no one is afraid of them.

To quote Tyrese (and don’t ask me why), there are a lot of players and teams who are “HONGRY” and want to eat. The meal will be especially sweet if they take Lebron’s cornbread in the process of their Sunday dinner.

There is no way the Jason Terrys & DeShawn Stevensons of the world should be eating off Lebron’s plate and leaving him to wash the dishes.

Kobe wouldn’t allow his legacy to just be the guy who won titles with Shaq— will Lebron allow his legacy to be of the best player on the planet who shrinks in the biggest moments?

I don’t know the answer to that, Skip Bayless doesn’t know, D Wade has no clue and Savannah doesn’t even have an idea.

Like Lebron said, the season is over and we all have to go back to our “real” lives— but when Lebron goes back to his and when he looks in the mirror, only he knows what he wants his legacy to be.

The mirror never lies.