Originally Posted by DrewDioxin
I respect him as a player and competitor, that is about where it stops.
What else is there to respect
Like someone said...people will appreciate when Kobe retires and the league is filled with players who don't have that killer instinct or that complete game.
There are players who come close offensively (Melo, Durant), defensively (LeBron), intensity (Westbrook), in his prime athletically (Rose + all of the above)..but Kobe has the complete game...but I mean the dude has 5 rings, records that involve scoring, longevity, I mean the dude has the record for most 3s in a game. All Star MVPs, Final MVPs, 1st team all defense, 1st team all NBA, Olympic Gold Medal...haven't even used the word clutch or admired yet. The thing that Kobe is adding to his legacy now is his toughness (having played more games than MJ already), leadership (players now want to play with Kobe + look at Beijing where the NBA's young stars deferred to him in the clutch), and longevity (dude leads the league in scoring in his 16th season
)..He won with Shaq, Pau, but what's most impressive is taking my area's high school team (Kwame, Walton, Smush, Odom) to the playoffs
.
There's a running list on a Laker forum of all the things that NBA players (past, present) have said about Kobe that basically portray him as someone who will outwork you, outsmart you, and just beat you over and over. And I read an article that the 2011 NBA Draft Class listed Kobe as their biggest hoops hero currently playing. His legacy will continue.
Btw - It's good to see a lot of people admit that they used to hate/dislike him but now they've come to respect him.
And for the dude who put Kobe in the same breath as Stackhouse/Iverson, go watch Space Jam or something.