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couldn't go wrong with Timmy either though.
Sporting News' NBA Athlete of the Decade: Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers
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couldn't go wrong with Timmy either though.
notorious 858
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[h2]Sporting News' NBA Athlete of the Decade: Kobe Bryant, SG, Lakers[/h2]Our choices for seven athletes of the decade--one in each sport we cover--sparked some intense debate. In the NBA, Kobe Bryant edged the Spurs' Tim Duncan.
[h4]Count on this: Ring No. 4 isn't going to make Bryant complacent.[/h4]
[h4]We say...[/h4]
Is he the next Michael Jordan? Can he win a title without Shaquille O'Neal? Is he still better than LeBron James? When it comes to Bryant, the talking points have always missed the mark. No player in the history of the sport has been as hell bent on muscling up and improving his game every offseason. Bryant continues to set the bar on hard work, and there's no sign of anyone reaching his level in that regard.
[h4]The numbers say...[/h4]
Bryant: 28.2 points per game, 5.9 rebounds, 5.2 assists, one MVP, four titles
Duncan: 21.2 points per game, 11.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists, two MVPs, three titles
[h4]You say...[/h4]
SportingNews.com voting
Bryant 55%
Duncan 45%
[h4]They say...[/h4]
Former Lakers teammate Shaquille O'Neal's case for Bryant: "The thing about Kobe is that, over the course of my career, I have never played with anyone who was as fierce as he is. By fierce I mean just having that extra killer instinct that you know when the game is on the line he is not going to shy away from the big shot, he is not going to make excuses. If we would go into the fourth quarter, playoffs or just some game in the season and we were within a little bit of the other team, Kobe was not going to shy away from the challenge of getting the win. He was going to take the shots."
[h4]Bryant says...[/h4]Our pick's memory of the decade: "This year meant a lot. We won a championship. It was satisfying, very satisfying, because we put in a lot of time and effort to fix things and get better. It's a great memory. I feel that we just had such a great team, such a fun team, from our chemistry to the way we executed. We went through some years and years of frustration to get to that point."
[h4]SN PLAYERS OF THE YEAR[/h4]
2001: Allen Iverson
2002: Tim Duncan
2003: Tim Duncan
2000: Shaquille O'Neal
2004: Kevin Garnett
2005: Shaquille O'Neal
2006: LeBron James, Steve Nash
2007: Dirk Nowitzki
2008: Kobe Bryant
2009: LeBron James
Link:
http://www.sportingnews.c...de-kobe-bryant-sg-lakers
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Shaq, Kobe or Timmy are all acceptable answers.
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although its kinda weird how hes only been sn player of the year once but gets the nod for nba athlete of the decade
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congrats to #24
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It is either Kobe or Duncan and there isn't a right answer.
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no disputing here
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cant knock it....especially with lakers winning the chip this year.
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I honestly would've picked Tim or Shaq before Kobe, but I can understand the decision, so no hate here.
darthska
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How can you be Athlete of the Decade when you were Player of the Year one time in the decade while two other players were Player of the Year twice in thedecade?
The hell?
The hell?
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Would have gone with Shaq too, but it's hard to argue against anyone there. Except maybe Steve Nash.
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Point blank nobody out of that list was as captivating as Kobe Bryant. I am in agreement with TSN'schoice.
notorious 858
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What ?
Come on now Shaq during the 3 peat wasn't captivating? Dude was putting up 40 & 20 during like the first 2 years of the 3 peat.
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Point blank nobody out of that list was as captivating as Kobe Bryant. I am in agreement with TSN'schoice.
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Shaq was a beast...a super dominant presence no doubt, and he had charisma as well...but Kobehad the flair, the style, the elegance, the attitude, the killer instinct. I'm not a Kobe fan, I like young #23 better, but I am just beinghonest.
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I would choose Shaw if ht list was '97 to 2007, but to me he has sucked for the past 3 years really. But for the years before that, he was easily the best.I would prolly go with Tim Duncan myself.
notorious 858
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Cool man.
I agree with you on the flair, the style, the elegance, the killer instinct.
When I watch Lebron play the game I just don't see it in him. I don't see the creative ness in his dunks or in his passes on assists. Killer instinctin Lebron
It's going to be interesting if Lebron decides to enter the dunk contest this year during allstar break. All of the NT fans on here will implode if heparticipates and loses in the dunk contest.
notorious 858
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Shaq hasn't been dominant since he left LA.
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Duncan or Kobe both fine choices
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Congrats Kobe! Well deserved!
davis
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