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EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. – APRIL 30, 2013. Kobe Bryant talks with reporters after his exit interview with the Lakers on Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at the team’s training facility in El Segundo. (Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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EL SEGUNDO, CALIF. – APRIL 30, 2013. Kobe Bryant talks with reporters after his exit interview with the Lakers on Tuesday, April 30, 2013, at the team’s training facility in El Segundo. (Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
NBA legend Kobe Bryant was one of the best players to play the game of basketball. While he is admired for his mindset, ?Mamba Mentality’, and obsession to win at all costs, he is also criticized for not sharing the ball with his teammates by many.
A video of the LA Lakers playing against the Boston Celtics in the 2010 NBA Finals has been shared where Jeff Van Gundy and Mark Jackson discuss Kobe Bryant.
Listen to Jeff Van Gundy keeping it real with Mark Jackson on how the Media treats Kobe, LeBron and Michael Jordan.
It's also a big reason why he doesnt get MVP votes.#NBA @JCrossover @kobebryant pic.twitter.com/dAEstrQhEv
— Brandon (@clickthatfollow) April 18, 2022
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The Lakers won the championship that year. They clinched the game 7 with a scoreline of 83-79. After a bad first quarter, the Lakers managed to cut the deficit over the next 3 quarters and won the championship. During the match commentary, Jeff Van Gundy expressed how some media celebrate when Michael Jordan or LeBron James show their individual brilliance but lash out at Kobe Bryant for the same.
He said that this media treatment would have been different if Kobe Bryant had a different personality.?
But given Kobe?s mindset and obsession with winning, he had to do whatever he could do to win the game, even if it meant not sharing the basketball or passing it. Also, he was not a ?pass first? player. He looked at every opportunity to score whenever he was about to receive the basketball.
Kobe Bryant?s NBA career
Kobe played only for the LA Lakers his entire career. In his 20 seasons in the NBA, he averaged 25 points per game, 5.2 rebounds per game, and 4.7 assists per game. Kobe Bryant had won 5 championships during his playing career. A famous three-peat from 2000 to 2002, one in 2009, and a repeat in 2010.
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In 2013, at age 34, Kobe Bryant ruptured his left Achilles tendon during a game against Golden State Warriors.
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Lakers guard Kobe Bryant receives the NBA Most Valuable Player trophy from comissioner David Stern prior to game two of the Western Conference semifinal at Staples Center. (Photo by Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Even though he was going through excruciating pain, he stood up and made his free throws before leaving the game. That was his mentality.
While the Achilles injury is considered by most a career-ending injury, Bryant did the impossible and returned the next year. He played 35 games and averaged 22.3 points per game.
Kobe Bryant’s retirement
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Then, in the 2015-16 season, Kobe Bryant played 66 games and averaged 19.6 points per game. This was his final season as he retired at the end of the season.
But he did not stop there. His thirst to win made him win an Oscar. He won the Oscar for the ?Best Animated Short Film? category in 2018 for his short film ?Dear Basketball?.
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In an unfortunate turn of events, on January 26, 2020, Kobe Bryant with his daughter Gianna and 7 others were tragically killed in a helicopter crash. The NBA has paid tribute to Kobe Bryant by changing the all-star MVP award?s name to ?All-star Game Kobe Bryant MVP Award?. Kobe Bryant will forever live in the hearts of every basketball fan.?
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