Wojnarowski on Kobe Bryant

[Real Deal]

Beast article.

 

Bryant wore his Lakers varsity jacket, purple gold. It had several championship trophies across the back. For all the cynicism the years have brought him, a lot of that teenager still lives within. Kobe Bryant is 32 years old now, and he keeps coming and coming like nothing witnessed since Jordan himself.

 

He’s chasing his sixth championship, a second three-peat, and still, Kobe Bryant doesn’t want to talk about Twitter followers. He doesn’t want to talk about all the Hollywood acting roles he has turned down, the parties and nightlife that he has mostly forsaken in his career. He’s chasing a ticking clock, chasing the ghosts before him – Jordan and Magic and Russell.

 

The world has changed around Bryant in this modern NBA, but his core basketball values have remained largely untouched and unimpeachable: His will stays greater than yours; his talent evolves but hardly diminishes. His single-mindedness remains maniacal.

 

“Guys have voices now, want to build brands,” Bryant said. “I don’t identify with it, but I understand where it’s going, why it’s going there. That’s not for me. I focus on one thing and one thing only – that’s trying to win as many championships as I can.”

Read the rest here...

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news;_ylt=AlqXp3WyVh8BphS95awjGlQ5nYcB?slug=aw-kobebryantchat112310

[Real Deal]

LOL, this dude is insane.

 

On the night before every game, he still downloads video into his iPhone from Mike Procopio in Chicago about how opponents may attack him, the way the defenders will rotate to him, the spots where he can feed his teammates the ball – small things beyond the Lakers’ own scouting reports, another edge. Sometimes, they’ll email thoughts back and forth past midnight, which isn’t such a big deal because Bryant seldom sleeps more than three hours a night.

[Nitro]

Wojo is a great writer, but he gets on my nerves. Every other week there will be an article about Kobe's greatness and/or LeBron's clique. It gets tiring because his skills could be used to cover some of the lesser known teams and players in the league who are making an impact.

 

But, nice article nontheless. I just feel that I've read about 50 of the same article, with slight variations to the wording.

[Real Deal]

Shouldn't keep quoting pieces from it, but this is sick, also.

 

“How to truly make players better, what that really means,” he said. “It’s not just passing to your guys and getting them shots. It’s not getting this or that many players into double figures. That’s bull[expletive]. That’s not how you win championships. You’ve got to change the culture of your team – that’s how you truly make guys better. In a way, you have to help them to get the same DNA that you have, the same focus you have, maybe even close to the same drive. That’s how you make guys better.

 

“I’ve never understood this stuff, where a star player sits out and a team goes into the tank. Well, they need him because he makes them better. Well, if he’s making them better, they should be able to survive without him. That’s how you lead your guys. You’ve got to be able to make guys suffice on their own, without you. If you’re there all the time and they take you away, they shouldn’t need a respirator.

[Real Deal]

Wojo is a great writer, but he gets on my nerves. Every other week there will be an article about Kobe's greatness and/or LeBron's clique. It gets tiring because his skills could be used to cover some of the lesser known teams and players in the league who are making an impact.

 

But, nice article nontheless. I just feel that I've read about 50 of the same article, with slight variations to the wording.

Yeah, but how many NBA-centered writers actually cover anything less than the top five superstars or teams? It's not rare, but there aren't very many out there.

[Check my Stats]

I will, and always have had respect for Kobe's work ethic and attitude towards the game. If LeBron had half of Kobe's work ethic.... just something that would be scary to think about.

[AboveLegit]

“Guys have voices now, want to build brands,” Bryant said. “I don’t identify with it, but I understand where it’s going, why it’s going there. That’s not for me.

 

My favorite quote from this article. Love the fact that Kobe admires the game and doesn't taint it with all this "business man" bull[expletive]. I absolutely hated Kobe a few years ago when the rape case came about and when he played selfish basketball, but now I have the utmost respect for him. It's a joy to watch him play, it's going to suck when his generation of players retire (Kobe, Garnett, Duncan, Pierce, etc).

[The Artesticle]

Great article. Still the best player in the NBA.

[The Regime]

“They don’t learn,” Bryant said. “I’m here. I’m not going anywhere. No matter what the injury – unless it’s completely debilitating – I’m going to be the same player I’ve always been. I’ll figure it out. I’ll make some tweaks, some changes, but I’m still coming.”

 

Such a [expletive]ing beast. You can hate Kobe the player as much as you want but you can't help but admire his work ethic and determination.