Phil Jackson: "Quite often I could feel Kobe's hatred.

[SouBeachTalents]

Huh? You have branstans on here yelling "1-9" and "He's nothing without Pippen"... you think that 6+ FMVP's would stop that sort of thing, right?

Think again. branstans are actually functional retards. Barely functional.

Lol, while that is an excellent rebuttal, I was referring more so to how things actually played out when Shaq & Kobe played together. But now that you mention 1-9, I think you're right, Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron would get hated on for anything

[Bond007]

the likes of kobe is a dying breed. freakin Alpha

[Bond007]

Kobe would have been just like T-Mac or AI, just with a longer career.

oh your from denver co

[TheMarkMadsen]

slow news day huh??

[Bond007]

Lol, while that is an excellent rebuttal, I was referring more so to how things actually played out when Shaq & Kobe played together. But now that you mention 1-9, I think you're right, Jordan, Kobe, and LeBron would get hated on for anything

those 3 are probably the most polarizing players in NBA history. they all are obviously phenomenal

[Hey Yo]

Kobe insinuates he would wreck the league if he left in 1999 to go on his own (first option) yet states he stayed because he wanted to play with Shaq and win titles

Isn't that the basic definition of choosing to ride the coattails of the veteran?

Said he could've avg. 35ppg that following year and beyond but yet chose to stay with Phil and Shaq.

[STATUTORY]

Kobe insinuates he would wreck the league if he left in 1999 to go on his own (first option) yet states he stayed because he wanted to play with Shaq and win titles

Isn't that the basic definition of choosing to ride the coattails of the veteran?

Said he could've avg. 35ppg that following year and beyond but yet chose to stay with Phil and Shaq.

he chose to stay with the team that developed him out of loyalty

bron fans literally trying to use kobe's loyalty as a stain on his record

[SouBeachTalents]

he chose to stay with the team that developed him out of loyalty

bron fans literally trying to use kobe's loyalty as a stain on his record

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...e-to-be-traded

[TheMarkMadsen]

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/pos...e-to-be-traded

there's a difference between asking to be traded then rescinding that statement and leaving your team twice within 5 years..

[Mr Feeny]

there's a difference between asking to be traded then rescinding that statement and leaving your team twice within 5 years..

He didn't rescind his trade demand. Paxon blocked Kobe's dream move to Chicago. There's no loyalty in there. At the first sign of a struggle he tried to force his way out. True beta.

[Spurs m8]

no shaq..no kobe legacy.

[DJ Leon Smith]

the funny thing is.. kobe could have won 10 titles with shaq and had 7 finals mvps... people would still say "but you had shaq"

winning 2 without him was worth more than any amount of rings with him.. throwing shaq off the bus literally catapulted his all time legacy. best thing that ever happened

No it wasn't. If in 2004 - when Shaq was still clearly the best first option for the Lakers - Kobe was able to bite his tongue and win a fourth ring, let's say Shaq sticks around and from 2006-> the Lakers would have CLEARLY been Kobe's team.

Now let's say Shaq hangs around as a semi-star/super-role player for a while, the Lakers keep winning, then Shaq retires and frees up a ton of cap room to sign a marquee free agent, maybe a superstar who doesn't like being an alpha and wants to play next to a high-octane shooting guard who can take some of the pressure off him down the stretch. Someone like LeBron James. Kobe then wins from 2001-2015 (playing with LeBron means he plays less minutes and doesn't suffer near-career ending injuries), cementing himself as the GOAT and retiring with the most rings won by a player in NBA history.

That would be the best thing that ever happened. But instead Kobe decided to shoot his team out of a ring then play with Smush Parker for a couple of years before crippling himself on a lottery team. Oh well

[Magic 32]

At the first sign of a struggle he tried to force his way out.

Wasting 3 peak years with Kwame and Smush is "first sign of a struggle" ?

I think not.

Lebron has yet to "waste" (stay) a single peak year with that kind of roster.

[Magic 32]

[QUOTE=DJ Leon Smith]No it wasn't. If in 2004 - when Shaq was still clearly the best first option for the Lakers - Kobe was able to bite his tongue and win a fourth ring, let's say Shaq sticks around and from 2006-> the Lakers would have CLEARLY been Kobe's team.

Now let's say Shaq hangs around as a semi-star/super-role player for a while, the Lakers keep winning, then Shaq retires and frees up a ton of cap room to sign a marquee free agent, maybe a superstar who doesn't like being an alpha and wants to play next to a high-octane shooting guard who can take some of the pressure off him down the stretch. Someone like LeBron James. Kobe then wins from 2001-2015 (playing with LeBron means he plays less minutes and doesn't suffer near-career ending injuries), cementing himself as the GOAT and retiring with the most rings won by a player in NBA history.

That would be the best thing that ever happened. But instead Kobe decided to shoot his team out of a ring then play with Smush Parker for a couple of years before crippling himself on a lottery team. Oh well

[JT123]

He didn't rescind his trade demand. Paxon blocked Kobe's dream move to Chicago. There's no loyalty in there. At the first sign of a struggle he tried to force his way out. True beta.