Kobe Bryant: A Joyous Basketball Tribute To #1

The Black Momba

Kobe Bryant was always one of my favorite players from his time in High School at Lower Merion just outside of Philadelphia to his rookie year with the Los Angeles Lakers.

I like everyone else was shocked and totally devastated when I heard the terrible news that dark day. Kobe's game was so elegant and graceful to me like a poem or a smooth Jazz song.

Kobe The Early Days

When he got to the NBA when first drafted by the Charlotte Hornets and for some reason that I will never ever be able to fathom traded him to the Lakers for Vladi Divac. I do understand that Charlotte needed a center and Divac was a good Center. But come on man.

There are some players that you just know…. Michael Jordan coming out of college there were some people that actually weren't sure he would be an all-time great and were ok with him being the number 3 pick. LeBron I am pretty sure EVERYBODY on earth knew he was going to be an All-Time Great. Kobe Bryant to me was another one who you had to know when you see him.

Will continue my Kobe Bryant tribute later today…

Number 1 In NBA History?

Kobe Bryant is definitely in the discussion to be the basketball player in the history of basketball. The greatest of all-time is a very open and rightly disputed argument. I don't believe that Kobe is quite the the greatest that ever played.

We Give Our Rankings Below:

Magnificent 10 NBA Basketball Players Of All Time

I do realize that we left off players that you and many others may have put on. It is extremely tough and close. Players such as Shaquille O'Neal, Tim Duncan, Jerry West and some others are deserving. With all of that being said Kobe has to be in anyone's Top 10

Kobe Bryant The Perfect Basketball Player

Kobe is in the Top 10 of course. What I do believe is that Kobe is the most perfect basketball player that ever graced a court. By that I mean a combination all of his basic fundamental skills (ball-handling-passing-picture perfect shooting form, defense and basketball IQ). All of that combined in a 6-6 about 215 lb frame (perfect 2 guard size) helps makes him the perfect basketball player. Combine all of that with his un-matched work ethic, insatiable intensity and fire and absolutely unquestionable clutch make him the perfect basketball player. Add to that extreme quickness and body control which if he were 6-2 would make that an incredible package but he was six-foot six inches.

Oh That's Right He Could Fly Too, Damn!

Kobe Bryant

Now that's a picture jump shot

First Impressions Of Kobe Bryant

When I first started watching Kobe Bryant play in the NBA I could tell that he had a once again insatiable burning desire to be great and you could see that he had absolutely no fear of his moment, the league, his competition or his hype. Having coming straight out of High School and a huge hype most player can't handle all of that. Kobe was most obviously oblivious to all of that. While he without a doubt of could have started right away for the Lakers they decided to smartly bring him along slowly and let him come off of the bench behind an extremely accomplished all-around two guard in Eddie Jones. But as good as George was he was holding down a spot for one of the greatest of all-time.

The Jerry West Intervention

The story goes that the incomparable Jerry West (The NBA Logo and top 20 player of all-time and at the time amazing GM of the Lakers) was thinking about trading for Bryant on draft or setting some type of deal with any team in position which ended up being the Charlotte Hornets. West had Kobe flown in to play some pickup games with some of the stars on the Lakers at the time Eddie Jones, Nick Van Excel to name a couple. When West saw Kobe go up against the established for about 10 minutes he told him to go in the locker room he had seen enough he saw right away what he was looking at and began to dream up some deal to get this generational and franchise changing talent

Kobe Bryant

He did put it together and made now infamous 1996 Draft Day deal with the Charlotte Hornets which went like this The Charlotte Hornets selected Kobe Bryant with the 13th Pick (12 teams passed on The Black Mamba? Well really 13) and traded Kobe to the Lakers for 7 foot center Vlade Divac who was a very good but not great player but come on now> Think of how Charlotte's fortune would have been changed from that day until now. But I think I speak for most by saying thank God they did and gave us this perfect Fairy Tail story with Kobe going to his life long dream love LA Lakers!!! The story of how NBA History was changed

From This>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>To This!!!! YAYYYYYYYYYYYYY US!!!!!