Will Kobe Bryant eventually turn haters into fans?

Question

Everyones obssessed with Kobe Bryant, not just laker fans. Read this and tell me if you think his reputation will ever fully recover?

http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/221473.html

Hey david p actually if u watched the lakers at all during last season you would have seen that kobe was playing the facilitator role. Up until they were 2 games over .500 and had to make the playoffs, thats when he got those 4 games with 50+ points. The difference is when bryant passes, its to guys like sasha vujacic or brian cook, instead of guys like melo or bron bron

okay about the attitude thing, yes i agree, he can be selfish at times. but micheal jordan said it best

"To be successful you have to be selfish, or else you never achieve. And once you get to your highest level, then you have to be unselfish. Stay reachable. Stay in touch. Don't isolate."

Well it seems he's has gotten to that latter point.

and you may not like his persona, but check this out

http://media.kb24.com/index.php?a=video&id=30

btw, kobe has done alot of charity work that was never covered by the media. he did alot before his trial. he DID ALOT, and he refused that media record it. do a search on all his work... he really is a good guy! go kobe!

Nikki: Ok, so kobe's not exactly magic johnson when it comes to passing, but give it time. It's not like he was always a pass first type of guy. You can see that his passing is getting better and better as time goes on. Right now passing is the ONLY FLAW in his game. Actually, i wouldnt even consider it that much a flaw. Thanks for your input though.

hendrix_phishinfloyd :

I didn't blame any of the teammates did i? I stated that Sasha Vujacic is no Lebron James as Brian Cook is no Carmelo Anthony. Thats fact, im not pointing fingers at anyone for not gelling.

But wait, has this team gelled at all? Has he made his teammates better? Hmmm... lets see, last season we started off 26 and 13. Thats a damn good record, at that pace it woulda been a 50 win game season. Too bad injuries hit and lamar odom, luke walton, and vlad radmonvich were taken out of the starting lineup. Great, so who does that leave? I mean just saying that luke walton is your 3rd best player on the team says alot about the team.

Well im sorry if fans "obsess." I dont sit around hours upon hours a day watching game tapes, studying plays and players so i can sit idly by and not be PASSIONATE about the game or my favorite player for that matter. Maybe if your superstar was constantly criticized by ESPN reporters, writers, announcers, maybe that would get you

to understand a bit. So who cares if youre getting tired of people obssessing over him? It's for the love of the game and if you dont have it maybe you shouldnt be here.

"I think as each year passes and his team fails to achieve anything, others will come around... "

I think as each year passes you will be eating your little words!

Answer 1

Maybe. But Kobe has always been a polarizing figure. Some people love him and think he's an angel, others hate him. Everyone always has such radical opinions about him.

He used to be selfish, but I don't think so any more. About that whole Shaq situation, I think it was more of a personality conflict than a "who's-the-biggest-ballhog" issue. Shaq is loud, happy, childish, and friendly. Kobe is stubborn, aloof, and cynical. Shaq used to get mad at Kobe all the time for sitting in the back of the bus and not playing Go Fish with the team. When you have 2 diametrically different people and one of them wants to befriend the other, stuff happens.

I love Kobe's game. I used to dislike his character, but he's gotten so much better. I really felt sorry for him when he was accused of rape. I researched the case inside out and followed the whole thing on CNN, and the whole thing seems false. We can only imagine the pain and stress of being dragged through the mud like that, and living through 14 sleepless months, while having to deal with one of the most demanding careers on the planet, and then having the woman accusing him practically say, "I'll drop this charge and collect my cash and go away if you write me a sorry note for something that never happened."

I used to dislike Kobe, and ironically, it was Colorado that turned me around. I knew that he made a mistake that 50-80% of the league had already made, and he did a good job apologizing to his wife. The resilience with which he dealt with that nightmare year was amazing. It really made me respect him and look past the little "he's selfish" things. Sometimes when I see Kobe on TV, it seems like he's still hurting from being taken advantage in such a way.

I was never a true hater, but that's my story of how I grew to love this guy. There are still some people who think that he is a rapist, some people who still think that he is a selfish ballhog with an "I-am-God" mentality. It'll be really hard to reform those true blue haters. Many of them have hated Kobe for 10 years, and Colorado and Shaq only justified their feelings.

Kobe's character isn't great, but it's much better than before. You're right, he is active in the community. But that's not enough to convince some people. It'll take them something really drastic to turn them around. Perhaps if something crazy happens, like if Kobe dies while rescuing a group of preschoolers from a burning building, he will win over some haters.

Answer 2

I don't think anyone doubts his talent, but the fact is throughout his career he hasn't had the best attitude, and hasn't always been a team player. Unless he changes that, it will not matter how many points he keeps putting up, he needs to change the way he is seen as a person along with keep doing what hes done in FIBA tournament this year in Las Vegas. This is a step in the right direction, but lets face it the only chance that he might get at being better liked will come if he does the same thing at the Olympics next year and brings back the gold.

Answer 3

It's time people stop focusing solely on whether Kobe shoots and passes or not, and focus on whether he makes his team-mates better; which he yet to prove he can do...It's really lame to sit and blame 4 out of five players on the court for not gelling. It's up to ALL players, including Kobe. I don't think his reputation can ever be fixed. I'm no fan of his, and tired of people obsessing about him, too. I think as each year passes and his team fails to achieve anything, others will come around...

Edit:
Typical Lakers fans...Just like Yankees fans...They seem to think every year that a championship is a given, and their team will get it simply for being their team..I wish I could chat with you in three years when Kobe and the Lakers have yet again done nothing towards winning a championship. Oh well...Lakers have alot more to worry about than just Kobe. that's all I'm saying...

Answer 4

No doubt about that: once players retire their reputations change.

Example: Hakeem Olajuwon put up 2 years as a great player and is today viewed as if his entire career was that successful. As great as he was, his reputation-once on par with Robinson and Ewing- has gone way up. Other's like Dominique Wilkin's reputation have gone down-he has been perceived as more selfish than he was thought to be during his playing days.

So, really I have no idea. Kobe could remain hated and loved, he could become more popular, or he could become less.

No way to really know, though there is one thing that must be acknowledged: love him or hate him people will always enjoy debating him whether it be in the light of praise or insult.

Answer 5

Give him time to develop you say? Kobe's been in this league long enough and should know how to make a decent pass. It's not like he's a rookie anymore. Would you give Shaq some time to learn how to shoot a jumpshot like Yao? He's either got it, or he doesn't.

The new talents, LeBron, Melo, Wade, and Durant, those you can wait for to develop.

Answer 6

Sure, especially with the way he played in the FIBA-Americas. Kobe brought energy to the team and played well on both ends. He seemed to have matured in this tournament, being unselfish and deferring to his equally talented teammates most of the time.

Answer 7

Sorry to burst your bubble, but whenever Kobe passes, it goes out of bounds, to the other team, or to a player with a bad look. He should stick to shooting for his own good. As for me, nothing can ever get me to be a Kobe fan. And I am not obsessed with him at all, so speak for yourself.

Answer 8

once a hater always a hater ya feel me jus let these clowns hate on kobe while we jus sit back wit a beer and watch him torch team after team after team

Answer 9

maybe, Kobe can draw fans but i'm not sure about converting arrogant people into fans

Answer 10

Nope

he has broken wayyyyyy too many hearts lol