December 18, 2014

 

By Kenneth D. Miller 

Assistant Managing Editor  

 

Humility can take a back seat this week.

Lakers great Kobe Bryant passed his idol and the greatest basketball player of all time on the NBA scoring list by sinking a free throw in Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday Dec. 14.

The comparison between Bryant and Michael Jordan is one of the all-time sports debate of who actually is the better of the two.

 

It has been the ghost of Jordan that Bryant has been insanely chasing since the Lakers drafted him 19 years ago.

 

Respectfully acknowledging Jordan’s record six NBA championship rings, his Godly basketball image and his legacy as the best player to ever lace up a pair of sneakers, Bryant has been destined to best him.

To many it would be a dose of humility to just be mentioned in the same breath with the GOAT (Greatest of All Time), but for Bryant it was a lofty measuring stick that he wanted to surpass.

 

So he did it, passing Jordan as the No. 3 NBA scorer with 32,310 points. Jordan finished with 32, 292.

 

He now has his eyes on No. 1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s 38,387 or No. 2 Karl Malone’s 36,928, but those were not the focal points, anyway.

 

 It was roughly 20 years ago when Bryant, a star at Lower Merion High School in Philadelphia, was taught how to shoot by Jordan, and learned how to feel a defender with his legs to create enough space to get a shot off.

 

 From his childhood in Italy where he learned to speak Italian to gyms in Philly, to Westwood and fitness centers in Orange County, Bryant lived in the gym to become the master of his fate.

 

 Yes, he   patterned his game after Jordan, even frequently licking his tongue like MJ, but deep down in side he always wanted to be better.

 

Many will question that Bryant is second to Jordan because of the six rings to  five comparisons, but while MJ is comfortably retired from the game as an active player and serves as owner of the Charlotte Hornets, Bryant

is still adding to his legacy.

 

And, although the Lakers continue to struggle to win games, his drive and determination is at a feverish peak entering the twilight of his career.

 

“I’m happy that I was able to share with him in the beginning and to this point as well,” Lakers coach Byron Scott said. “I just told him how proud I was of him, I loved him, just how much it’s an honor to be coaching him

and coaching this team.”

 

Tweets poured in, from the likes of LeBron James (“Congrats Bean!”) and Magic Johnson, who sent a few: “Lakers fans we’ve been so blessed to watch Kobe Bryant, one of the top five or 6 best players ever, play in a

Lakers uniform!”

 

Jordan himself released a statement to The Associated Press, congratulating Bryant, saying in part, “I’ve enjoyed watching his game evolve over the years, and I look forward to seeing what he accomplishes next.”

 

Nike  unveiled  limited edition “Mamba Moment” shoes to mark the occasion.

 

“I’m just honored to be here, man, to still be playing,” Bryant said.

 

He finished with 26 points in the game he passed Jordan and the Lakers beat the lowly Timberwolves, but the shadow of Jordan is now in the rearview mirror on his to-do list, but overbearing as King Kong on that

championship meter.

 

Kobe Bryant knows this, and he’s not resting on the laurels of a scoring milestone, although he wanted it. He needs two more banners, so that he can say 7-6.

 

He’s lived his life to be the GOAT, and in any language we all can understand that! 

• < Prev
• Next >