HoopWatch
18
Ever since his rookie year, Kobe Bryant has already been compared to His Airness, Michael Jordan. A lot of hype has been going on on searching for the next Jordan. There’s Bryant, New Jersey’s Vince Carter, Houston’s Tracy McGrady, Cleveland’s Lebron James and Miami’s Dwyane Wade.
But in my opinion, none of them deserves to be the next Jordan or his equal. Jordan is so unique in his accomplishments and how he transformed a lottery Chicago Bulls team into a dominant force in the 90’s is incomparable. He practically owned that decade. All these guys may equal or even surpass Jordan’s athleticism. And Bryant and Wade may have rings, but both had Shaq to help them (“help†is even an understatement). Jordan had ONLY Cartwright and Longley as his bigs. He had no dominant center to take the attention away from him.
But this is beside the point. Bryant may have the one thing that Jordan had during his six rings. And that’s Coach Phil Jackson. Practically, Jackson has transformed the Lakers into the 90’s Bulls with Bryant as his Jordan, and Odom as his Pippen (sort of). And they are winning; they are just behind the red-hot Phoenix Suns, and their 14-game winning streak, in the Pacific Division. Jackson has been challenging Bryant to trust his teammates more, as he did urge Jordan. And the Lakers have responded. Bryant is no longer scoring 35 points per game. And Smush Parker, Luke Walton, Kwame Brown and even Andrew Bynum are having career years.
All the more adding to the buzz going on around that Bryant is the next Jordan. Rumors that Bryant changed his jersey number from “8†to “24†to illustrate that he is the next “Mike†are circulating Although, news reports state that “24†is Bryant’s jersey number back in high school.
Kobe fans love the idea, some fans don’t like it. Others, especially non-Kobe fans hate it. They hate it so much that this has been the topic in web rings, and there’s a video circulating around via “YouTube.†It’s a three-part video, just type “hate Kobe.†You better check it out.
Everyone has every right to their own opinion, and for me nobody can ever be the next Jordan. That’s why I like the latest Lebron Nike ad, that he ain’t the next, but the first. But I am an open guy, who knows that he’ll lead the Lakers to another dynasty. I’ll wait and see. The assessment just depends on you. Is “24†the new “23?†You be the judge! (pic courtesy of yahoonba.com)
8 Responses to “Kobe: The Next Jordan?”
December 18th, 2006 at 6:43 pm
Nah! Not a chance! I hate Kobe!!!
I agree that there will never be another Michael Jordan. But we always try to look for that next great superstar that will captivate us once again. Penny Hardaway, Grant Hill, Allen Iverson, Vince Carter, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James, these are the players that the NBA has anointed to replace MJ. Among these stars, I thought Kobe was the closest thing to a Michael Jordan. But that was before I saw Dwyane Wade. He may not score as much as Jordan but in the things that count, Dwyane Wade mirrors MJ the closest. He scores when it counts, wills his team to win, attacks the basket with great impunity, and he is absolutely beautiful to watch. Step aside Kobe and Lebron, Dwyane Wade is the next great basketball superstar.
Plus, Wade didn’t have Shaq, he was a one-man recking crew in the finals. Shaq was reduced to a bystander and so was everybody else. 
Lebron is the first
Kobe wanna be like Mike
Dwyane Wade is the the Next Michael Jordan
eww shut the hell up buddy, kobe has a winning team and wade has a garbage league team and without shaq they are hopeless because dwyane wade is far inferior to kobe bryant, kobe can hit threes hit clutch shots twice as well as wade and attacks the rim almost the exact same except doesnt do it everytime like wade does, its called all round game and kobe delivers, isee the lakers winning it this year, and the guy who commented first, your not a fan yur just a lil fagget who hates players just so he can be part of a conversation, go sit down now, cuz ur queer:)
kobe has a true love for the game and will do whatever necessary to win, all this talk about wade didnt have shag crap is ridiculous, if i remember correctly for those 3 championships it was always kobe time come the fourth quarter, shaq had to sit down because of the hack a shaq
March 4th, 2007 at 11:27 pm
Hi Francis,
The Jordan era is indeed a phenomenon, and nobody can replicate His Airness. I believe that the likes of Kobe, Vince and Wade will have their own Era in their own destined time. The world of Basketball has evolved, luckily for Jordan, he started the art of the game, his moves are the benchmark of how basketball should be played… in the air.
Bryant has re-established himself as the star among stars, reminded the world that no one plays the ends of the floor the way that he does. He has tortured offensive stars in the FIBA American Championship, chasing those with and without the ball like nothing anyone’s seen in years out of him on defense.
“He’s brought an intensity, an edge, to us that maybe people had only seen in Michael Jordan,†Managing Director Jerry Colangelo said.
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