The Next Kobe

I was fortunate to have witnessed Kobe Bryant's career from the day he got drafted  to his final season.  That's 20 NBA seasons. Many would not remember that he broke his left hand even before he played his first NBA game, had knee surgery early in the 3-peat era with Shaq, played with a broken finger on his way to win their 5th title winning a Finals rematch with the Boston Celtics, then he ruptured his Achilles then came back next season only to injure his shoulder and once again cut short his season. Now at age 37 with nothing to prove he decided that this season will be his last. After getting crucified for shooting 1-14 from the field early on, suddenly everyone couldn't wait to see his last remaining games.

I was never the biggest Kobe fan and I used to hate the Lakers. I was crushed when they always beat the Sacramento Kings in the WCF and rejoiced when the Pistons buried them 4-1 in the 2004 NBA Finals. I used to always say, " I've seen everything Kobe does when Michael Jordan played and MJ did it better."

But aside from their on court moves, Kobe was never a Jordan clone, this last season shows how much different the two legends are. Instead of going out on top like MJ did in his first retirement, Kobe chose otherwise continuing to play until his body betrayed him. Maybe if Kobe decided to retire 2-3 years ago we would never seen him hit 1-14 from the field or be part of a losing Lakers team but 2 consecutive injury plagued seasons made him realize it was over, and the best thing about it was— he was okay with that. That's the difference between the two superstars.

Indeed Kobe will leave a lasting memory in every basket ball fans heart, whether you like or hate him, you have got to recognize greatness , talent, leadership, and winning attitude to take and "Make" the last shot. Will there ever be another MJ? Many believed it was Kobe.. But the next

Kobe ? 

We have yet to see..