Move over, Magic; L.A. is Kobe's town

[Sccit]

for the people who are acting like kobe isnt up there, are u out of your minds?

[Shallow]

for the people who are acting like kobe isnt up there, are u out of your minds?

I don't think I'm out of my mind to think he's just a small notch under Magic and Bird.

[OG Hack Wilson]

Not saying I agree with the article I posted, as I was a huge Magic fan and I remember crying huge tears the day he announced he had HIV, and I can guarantee you that I don't even remotely feel close to Kobe in that way as a fan. As I've said over and over, I was on Shaq's side of the civil war in LA when they were teammates, and I wished Shaq had ended his career in gold and forum blue, BUT understood business and understood for an organization Kobe was better long term. In the end it worked out better for LA. With that aside, I thought it would bring interesting results and to post this, and let the debate begin.

For the record, the author stated that Magic had better teammates, but at the same time, Magic lead those teammates, and was the superstar among stars, so what does that make Magic.

good post right here.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

Kobe's the best of the new millennium so far but he's going to have to do a lot more for me to put him at the Magic/Bird level, and even then I think if both those guys stayed healthy the first Bulls 3-peat would not have happened.

Again, people seem to reserve the "best" title for perimeter players. You can easily make the case of Duncan > Kobe...and most lists have it as so. Kobe has probably narrowed that gap quite a bit with this title. But youre talkin the best PF of all time. He just gets lost in the mix because people like to focus on highflyers and perimeter guys more than bigs.

I'm not going to argue against Duncan. I love Duncan. I kind of meant at the moment I guess. I'd rather have Kobe leading my team than anyone else right now, with Lebron just behind, and Duncan's best days are gone.

I got u. I was just talking about the "best of the new millennium" thing.

Yeah, you could argue one over the other. I guess Kobe's longevity is starting to win me over a bit.

Yeah. You just gotta take into consideration Timmy's college career. Those were still years of basketball that add to the mileage and he is one of the greatest college ball players of all time. Plus the fact that since he came into the league the Spurs are in the playoffs every single year...so he has played a lot of games.  But like I said, Kobe IS an all time great. I just dont see him as the best Laker ever.

[Halu Sination]

Magic is a very humble guy, but he actually said something pretty bold (and in my opinion, true) in regards to Kobe's legacy.

When Kobe officially takes Magic's city from him, it's going to be when he gets the 6th ring. Simply tying his legacy simply won't cut it. Magic clearly showed enthusiasm and thinks Kobe can do it though, he even offered to pay for a Kobe statue in front of Staples Center.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

Magic is a very humble guy, but he actually said something pretty bold (and in my opinion, true) in regards to Kobe's legacy.

When Kobe officially takes Magic's city from him, it's going to be when he gets the 6th ring. Simply tying his legacy simply won't cut it. Magic clearly showed enthusiasm and thinks Kobe can do it though, he even offered to pay for a Kobe statue in front of Staples Center.

to be honest, Kobe will never surpass Jordan. But I find it hard to imagine Kobe ever even passing Magics legacy. It isnt just about championship counts because like it or not, fans will always see Kobes first three titles differently due to him being the #2 guy on those teams. Not to mention, there are certain intangibles that players like Magic...Bird...Jordan...etc had going for them. One was the way they inspired others...and inspired fans. There is simply this "it" factor with players like that, that Kobe has just never had. Its nothing BAD about him, 99.9% of players have never had it. Kobe is a fierce competitor and a great scorer, etc. But he will always struggle to mean what any of those players mentioned...meant to their respective franchises....and not just ON the floor.

[Shallow]

Kobe's the best of the new millennium so far but he's going to have to do a lot more for me to put him at the Magic/Bird level, and even then I think if both those guys stayed healthy the first Bulls 3-peat would not have happened.

Again, people seem to reserve the "best" title for perimeter players. You can easily make the case of Duncan > Kobe...and most lists have it as so. Kobe has probably narrowed that gap quite a bit with this title. But youre talkin the best PF of all time. He just gets lost in the mix because people like to focus on highflyers and perimeter guys more than bigs.

I'm not going to argue against Duncan. I love Duncan. I kind of meant at the moment I guess. I'd rather have Kobe leading my team than anyone else right now, with Lebron just behind, and Duncan's best days are gone.

I got u. I was just talking about the "best of the new millennium" thing.

Yeah, you could argue one over the other. I guess Kobe's longevity is starting to win me over a bit.

Yeah. You just gotta take into consideration Timmy's college career. Those were still years of basketball that add to the mileage and he is one of the greatest college ball players of all time. Plus the fact that since he came into the league the Spurs are in the playoffs every single year...so he has played a lot of games.  But like I said, Kobe IS an all time great. I just dont see him as the best Laker ever.

Agreed.

[Halu Sination]

Magic is a very humble guy, but he actually said something pretty bold (and in my opinion, true) in regards to Kobe's legacy.

When Kobe officially takes Magic's city from him, it's going to be when he gets the 6th ring. Simply tying his legacy simply won't cut it. Magic clearly showed enthusiasm and thinks Kobe can do it though, he even offered to pay for a Kobe statue in front of Staples Center.

to be honest, Kobe will never surpass Jordan. But I find it hard to imagine Kobe ever even passing Magics legacy. It isnt just about championship counts because like it or not, fans will always see Kobes first three titles differently due to him being the #2 guy on those teams. Not to mention, there are certain intangibles that players like Magic...Bird...Jordan...etc had going for them. One was the way they inspired others...and inspired fans. There is simply this "it" factor with players like that, that Kobe has just never had. Its nothing BAD about him, 99.9% of players have never had it. Kobe is a fierce competitor and a great scorer, etc. But he will always struggle to mean what any of those players mentioned...meant to their respective franchises....and not just ON the floor.

No disrespect, but are you even a Laker fan? If not, I really don't see how you can even say how much he means to his respective franchise. Obviously, Lakers would have more big-named icons than any other franchise in the NBA so Kobe has his work cut out for him, and if Kobe's career were to end now, then it would still be Magic's city in my eyes.

But Kobe had the "it" factor the very moment he stepped on an NBA court. The moment Jerry West went out of his way to scout him at high school games and conned the Charlotte Hornets into trading him to LA. I'm sure in the media's eyes, he probably lost the "it" factor after the rape case and after being blamed for chasing Shaq and Phil Jackson out of town, but there's no doubt in my mind that he redeemed himself in their eyes.

The dude was VOTED IN every all-star game as a starter ever since he was 18 years old, in his second year of the NBA. Based of merchandise sales and especially on an international scale, Kobe is still the most popular player in the NBA. He's had the highest selling jersey for 5 years in a row now, and had a few years (but non-consecutive) before that. Did you hear the commentary during the 2008 Olympics? LeBron and Carmelo mentioned how all the non-American Olympic athletes and random fans in China flocked to Kobe's side in admiration and to take pictures with him, while all the other NBA players just watched the spectacle.

A lot of people think Kobe is a douche and he's never seemed to put in much effort to fix that reputation in front of the media, but when it's all said and done, he's going to be remembered for the player he was, much like every other Hall of Famer in sports, period.

... not including the ones who got caught for steroids. lol

[dexter]

Kobe is very good

[Sccit]

Magic is a very humble guy, but he actually said something pretty bold (and in my opinion, true) in regards to Kobe's legacy.

When Kobe officially takes Magic's city from him, it's going to be when he gets the 6th ring. Simply tying his legacy simply won't cut it. Magic clearly showed enthusiasm and thinks Kobe can do it though, he even offered to pay for a Kobe statue in front of Staples Center.

to be honest, Kobe will never surpass Jordan. But I find it hard to imagine Kobe ever even passing Magics legacy. It isnt just about championship counts because like it or not, fans will always see Kobes first three titles differently due to him being the #2 guy on those teams. Not to mention, there are certain intangibles that players like Magic...Bird...Jordan...etc had going for them. One was the way they inspired others...and inspired fans. There is simply this "it" factor with players like that, that Kobe has just never had. Its nothing BAD about him, 99.9% of players have never had it. Kobe is a fierce competitor and a great scorer, etc. But he will always struggle to mean what any of those players mentioned...meant to their respective franchises....and not just ON the floor.

No disrespect, but are you even a Laker fan? If not, I really don't see how you can even say how much he means to his respective franchise. Obviously, Lakers would have more big-named icons than any other franchise in the NBA so Kobe has his work cut out for him, and if Kobe's career were to end now, then it would still be Magic's city in my eyes.

But Kobe had the "it" factor the very moment he stepped on an NBA court. The moment Jerry West went out of his way to scout him at high school games and conned the Charlotte Hornets into trading him to LA. I'm sure in the media's eyes, he probably lost the "it" factor after the rape case and after being blamed for chasing Shaq and Phil Jackson out of town, but there's no doubt in my mind that he redeemed himself in their eyes.

The dude was VOTED IN every all-star game as a starter ever since he was 18 years old, in his second year of the NBA. Based of merchandise sales and especially on an international scale, Kobe is still the most popular player in the NBA. He's had the highest selling jersey for 5 years in a row now, and had a few years (but non-consecutive) before that. Did you hear the commentary during the 2008 Olympics? LeBron and Carmelo mentioned how all the non-American Olympic athletes and random fans in China flocked to Kobe's side in admiration and to take pictures with him, while all the other NBA players just watched the spectacle.

A lot of people think Kobe is a douche and he's never seemed to put in much effort to fix that reputation in front of the media, but when it's all said and done, he's going to be remembered for the player he was, much like every other Hall of Famer in sports, period.

... not including the ones who got caught for steroids. lol

LOL, Daygo says some of the dumbest shit imaginable.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

Magic is a very humble guy, but he actually said something pretty bold (and in my opinion, true) in regards to Kobe's legacy.

When Kobe officially takes Magic's city from him, it's going to be when he gets the 6th ring. Simply tying his legacy simply won't cut it. Magic clearly showed enthusiasm and thinks Kobe can do it though, he even offered to pay for a Kobe statue in front of Staples Center.

to be honest, Kobe will never surpass Jordan. But I find it hard to imagine Kobe ever even passing Magics legacy. It isnt just about championship counts because like it or not, fans will always see Kobes first three titles differently due to him being the #2 guy on those teams. Not to mention, there are certain intangibles that players like Magic...Bird...Jordan...etc had going for them. One was the way they inspired others...and inspired fans. There is simply this "it" factor with players like that, that Kobe has just never had. Its nothing BAD about him, 99.9% of players have never had it. Kobe is a fierce competitor and a great scorer, etc. But he will always struggle to mean what any of those players mentioned...meant to their respective franchises....and not just ON the floor.

No disrespect, but are you even a Laker fan? If not, I really don't see how you can even say how much he means to his respective franchise. Obviously, Lakers would have more big-named icons than any other franchise in the NBA so Kobe has his work cut out for him, and if Kobe's career were to end now, then it would still be Magic's city in my eyes.

But Kobe had the "it" factor the very moment he stepped on an NBA court. The moment Jerry West went out of his way to scout him at high school games and conned the Charlotte Hornets into trading him to LA. I'm sure in the media's eyes, he probably lost the "it" factor after the rape case and after being blamed for chasing Shaq and Phil Jackson out of town, but there's no doubt in my mind that he redeemed himself in their eyes.

The dude was VOTED IN every all-star game as a starter ever since he was 18 years old, in his second year of the NBA. Based of merchandise sales and especially on an international scale, Kobe is still the most popular player in the NBA. He's had the highest selling jersey for 5 years in a row now, and had a few years (but non-consecutive) before that. Did you hear the commentary during the 2008 Olympics? LeBron and Carmelo mentioned how all the non-American Olympic athletes and random fans in China flocked to Kobe's side in admiration and to take pictures with him, while all the other NBA players just watched the spectacle.

A lot of people think Kobe is a douche and he's never seemed to put in much effort to fix that reputation in front of the media, but when it's all said and done, he's going to be remembered for the player he was, much like every other Hall of Famer in sports, period.

... not including the ones who got caught for steroids. lol

I dont think youre understanding the "it" factor.

For one, I dont have to be a Laker fan to understand what a player means to a franchise. Its quite possible for people to say what Jordan meant to the Bulls franchise. Or what Bird meant to the Celtics franchise. Etc...without being fans of those teams. As a matter of fact, youre able to look at it even more objectively by not being a fan since you are not swayed by emotion or anything for the team or players or current situation.

As far as the "it" factor that other players have had (Magic, Jordan, etc) that I feel Kobe doesnt have. Its not just about being able to score a ton....being a great defender....high basketball IQ...or whatever it is you excel at. Its that presense that you have on and off the court. Kobe doesnt have that same presense. I cant even explain why he doesnt, he just doesnt. I dont know how old you are and how much you got to watch Jordan play...or watch Magic play (not on ESPN Classic either lol)....but it was way different than watching Kobe play. Even if you hated the Bulls....your eyes were glued to Jordan. Whether he had the ball or not, he captivated the audience. I wasnt a Bulls fan...just like Im not a Lakers fan. And when I watch the Lakers, as many, I watch the team play...not Kobe. Its not just Kobe that is that way. Im a Spurs fan and I can say Duncan fits that same mold. He is an all time great...the greatest PF of all time and one of the top 10 players of all time. But I would never be so delusional as a lot of Kobe fans are, by saying Duncan is better than Jordan lol Or should be higher on the all time great list. I still have Duncan below Magic, Bird, etc.

As for the internation/media fans flocking to Kobe lol. You do know how popular the Lakers are worldwide right? A little more popular than the Cavs and the Heat lol. The Bulls are very popular worldwide, but they have no star that competed with Kobe, Lebron, Wade, etc. So that means absolutely nothing.

[.:DaYg0sTyLz:.]

Magic is a very humble guy, but he actually said something pretty bold (and in my opinion, true) in regards to Kobe's legacy.

When Kobe officially takes Magic's city from him, it's going to be when he gets the 6th ring. Simply tying his legacy simply won't cut it. Magic clearly showed enthusiasm and thinks Kobe can do it though, he even offered to pay for a Kobe statue in front of Staples Center.

to be honest, Kobe will never surpass Jordan. But I find it hard to imagine Kobe ever even passing Magics legacy. It isnt just about championship counts because like it or not, fans will always see Kobes first three titles differently due to him being the #2 guy on those teams. Not to mention, there are certain intangibles that players like Magic...Bird...Jordan...etc had going for them. One was the way they inspired others...and inspired fans. There is simply this "it" factor with players like that, that Kobe has just never had. Its nothing BAD about him, 99.9% of players have never had it. Kobe is a fierce competitor and a great scorer, etc. But he will always struggle to mean what any of those players mentioned...meant to their respective franchises....and not just ON the floor.

No disrespect, but are you even a Laker fan? If not, I really don't see how you can even say how much he means to his respective franchise. Obviously, Lakers would have more big-named icons than any other franchise in the NBA so Kobe has his work cut out for him, and if Kobe's career were to end now, then it would still be Magic's city in my eyes.

But Kobe had the "it" factor the very moment he stepped on an NBA court. The moment Jerry West went out of his way to scout him at high school games and conned the Charlotte Hornets into trading him to LA. I'm sure in the media's eyes, he probably lost the "it" factor after the rape case and after being blamed for chasing Shaq and Phil Jackson out of town, but there's no doubt in my mind that he redeemed himself in their eyes.

The dude was VOTED IN every all-star game as a starter ever since he was 18 years old, in his second year of the NBA. Based of merchandise sales and especially on an international scale, Kobe is still the most popular player in the NBA. He's had the highest selling jersey for 5 years in a row now, and had a few years (but non-consecutive) before that. Did you hear the commentary during the 2008 Olympics? LeBron and Carmelo mentioned how all the non-American Olympic athletes and random fans in China flocked to Kobe's side in admiration and to take pictures with him, while all the other NBA players just watched the spectacle.

A lot of people think Kobe is a douche and he's never seemed to put in much effort to fix that reputation in front of the media, but when it's all said and done, he's going to be remembered for the player he was, much like every other Hall of Famer in sports, period.

... not including the ones who got caught for steroids. lol

LOL, Daygo says some of the dumbest shit imaginable.

lol thats funny coming from the guy who others on here use as a measuring stick for ignorant/dickriding posts.