LeBron James left the Cavaliers where he was the undisputed leader and joined the Miami Heat, which James himself called Dwyane Wade’s team. Kobe Bryant never left the Lakers and he would have never willingly gone to a team that already had an alpha male.
But how quickly have we forgotten that Bryant won over half his titles on a team that already had one?
This is why the mainstream media can never be taken seriously. Two years ago, Kobe Bryant’s three championship rings may as well have come from the bottom of a Frosted Flakes box.
All of Bryant’s success was null and void because “he couldn’t do it without Shaq”.
Kobe wasn’t a real champion.
Now what I predicted a year earlier has come to pass and with Bryant’s latest victory he essentially won his fifth championship in two seasons .
Bryant is on top of the world while James, the man who the media worshipped from high school all the way until the end of the 2009 Eastern Conference Finals, has been branded a cowardly, traitorous sidekick.
Funny how quickly the media changes its tune, isn’t it?
Think what you will of James’ transformation from hero to pariah, but what Bryant proved in the last two years is that everyone forgives a winner. Love him or hate him, a champion is measured by his success, not by his off-the-court persona or past follies.
Think about it: when was the last time you heard someone bring up Bryant’s unfortunate incident in Colorado?
If James wants to restore his legacy in the eyes of the media he’ll have to win, but if James wants to be remembered as the greatest player of the post-Jordan era he’ll have to win more than Kobe. The question is can he do it?
The short answer is no.
Bryant already has 5 rings and heading into this season the L...
Article Source: Bleacher Report - Los Angeles Lakers
