We've all heard the names before. "Ball hog", "Arrogant", "Selfish." The only thing is the "haters" were right. The Lakers most recognized player, jersey number 24 (formerly known as 8) was all those things however that was pre-MVP Black Mamba. While you can count on Kobe to be the go to man and put up 50+pts on a given night to carry his team to victory (see the 61pt record setting performance he dropped on the Boston Celtics at the Garden back in February) you can also rest assure that he will dish the ball out to you to let you get your shine on (ahem, see Lamar Odom, Trevor Azria and Paul Gasol game performances of late).
There's valid hate then there's hate from disgruntled ex-Lakers' players jobless or otherwise. Ask former Lakers' guard, Smush Parker. "Tell em, why your mad son! tell 'em why you're mad!"
"Playing with the Lakers was an overrated experience. Phil Jackson was great. I don't care what the media says, they said I had a problem with Phil Jackson, but the problem was never with Phil Jackson. It was with your boy, 24. Formerly known as KB, Kobe Bryant. The problems with that team start with him, and end with him."
This coming from a player rescued from the NBA D-League (Rio Grande Vipers.) So you average 9ppg, 2.4 rbg and 2.9 apg, can't perform well offensively or defensively and get yourself benched and replaced by Jordan Farmar and then because of your less than stellar social skills you get dropped and now playing for the Lakers' is overrated? Excuse me if I can't contain my bouts of side splitting laughter.
Poor Smush. It's just Smush Parker against the world.
Source: BET's Playa Hater
Smush is like those washed up rappers who hate on Jay Z.
Get a life man.
First the fat boys break up...........
If you think about it. The problems on the team start and end with kobe. It was a valid statement. While kobe has been the best player in the league he never made his fellow lakers better. That's the big difference between Lebron and Kobe. The problem with kobe is he knows he's the best player and relies on himself way more than he relies on others, that's why they lost last year, and would be the reason if they lose this year.
Nathaniel that is such a dumb statement.
What other player has been to 5 NBA Finals is the last 12 years?
Kobe isn't perfect, but he took the Lakers to the Finals without one of their best players. Is it his fault Lamar Odom and Paul Gasol played soft.
Stop being a Kobe hater!!
How long did Smush last in the league without Kobe? What's Kwame, Brian Cook, and Chuckie Atkins up to now? Oh yeah who lead the three peat Lakers in assists? Lasfly who has more assists to Shaq than anyone else? Well Kobe is the answer to the last two questions. I'll let Nathaniel answer the rest. Making teammates better is a myth. You can't make chicken salad out of chickenshit .
Not going to keep posting so this is my last one. How many titles has kobe won without shaq? How many titles would kobe had won had he not tried to push shaq out the door? Again, not hating on kobe... the man is a killer. But he's selfish and it showed against the celtics, he's not a team player yet. He's not a leader, he cannot carry the Lakers to the title because at the end of the day he doesn't think they are good enough to help him more than he can help himself. Smush parker is a garbage NBA player, I get it, I'm not debating that. That still doesn't mean he's wrong about the assesment on Kobe.
Nathaniel tell me how my ass taste
As much of a Kobe fan as I am, Nathaniel, I'd agree with you if I hadn't seen Kobe involve his teammates for the first time ever to win the MVP award last year. That's why he won the MVP FINALLY. Not cuz he had never won before except in public opinion, but because he made his team BETTER for once in his career! They didn't lose to Boston cuz of his selfishness. They lost because they were soft and as we all know, Boston is killer on D. For those acronym impaired, I'll spell it out...d-e-f-e-n-s-e. Something that LA has struggled with Bynum out and Lamar Odom and Pau Gasol falling off. Whether he thinks he's the only one that can carry the team is not the problem, you do what you have to do as a leader when everyone else is down and not performing but that doesn't make you selfish. You just want to win which in professional sports, why else would you be playing but to win? It's certainly not to see yourself on TV. If you want to blame someone blame Phil for coming up with and executing the triangle offense that makes Kobe so important and the Lakers' organization for allowing Phil to continue with it. Like they say, don't hate the player, hate the game.
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