Why Kobe Bryant is One of the Greatest of All Times

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Kobe Bean Bryant, now heading into his 20th NBA Season, is still at it. He proved the haters wrong and was ready for the NBA straight out of high school. He proved he could be relied on in big moments, time and time and time again (27 times to be exact). He proved he could win an NBA championship at the age of 22, and do it two more times in a row. He proved he could lead the least talented Laker teams of all time into the playoffs. He proved he could come back from losing to the Celtics, to winning two championships in a row.

Kobe Bryant has absolutely nothing left to prove. So is he calling it a career and hitting the golf ranges? Nope. At 36 years old, coming off of 3 season ending injuries, the man simply will not quit. This is what I love about Kobe Bryant, his competitive drive, his constant thirst for success. What separates Kobe from Micheal Jordan is this constant drive. Jordan wins 3 in a row, believes he has nothing left to prove, and retires in the prime of his career. If Jordan wanted to, he could’ve won 8 championships in a row, but he was satisfied with his 3. Kobe Bryant is never satisfied, always wanting to win more and always wanting to improve. Kobe will not give up, and this persistence has inspired many athletes all around the world.

Many critics feel Kobe is washed up and his days of dominance are over. They feel its futile to try and return to the league after 3 season ending injuries. Kobe tore his achilles in April, 2013. He comes back and tears his meniscus 8 games into the 2013-2014 season. The next year he comes back, playes ~20 games and tears his right shoulder rotator cuff. “Father time has caught up with the Black Mamba,” the critics are saying. Kobe hears what all the criticism being thrown his way, and the critics’ words are only adding fuel to his fire. He has been proving his critics wrong for about 18 years now, and will prove them wrong again next year. #GoLakers