Three Ring Circus Lakers 3 peat dynasty book
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dcastillo
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 11:02 am    Post subject: Three Ring Circus Lakers 3 peat dynasty book

Came out yesterday, bought it today. Wondering if anybody else here was going to get it. The same author is the guy who did the showtime Lakers dynasty book which was really good. Apparently it’s another good one that goes into 1996-2004 years.
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 11:04 am    Post subject: Re: Three Ring Circus Lakers 3 peat dynasty book

dcastillo wrote:
Came out yesterday, bought it today. Wondering if anybody else here was going to get it. The same author is the guy who did the showtime Lakers dynasty book which was really good. Apparently it’s another good one that goes into 1996-2004 years.


i read it. Has a whole chapter dedicated to my favorite player Nick Van Exel. Really trashes Ceballos and Bryant to a degree but I think Jeff Pearlman is a great writer. The young Kobe really was something else.....and not in a good way.
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 11:12 am    Post subject:

just read some excerpt... that was Kobe crying on Samaki's voicemail? GTFOH
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 11:16 am    Post subject:

governator wrote:
just read some excerpt... that was Kobe crying on Samaki's voicemail? GTFOH


Dont forget this is a completely different Kobe. Myself, I did not like Kobe at all during the 3-peat era as I always got the sense something was off with this guy. Read the part about the Eagle Rock, and you start to understand how this scared wannabe tough guy was a complete joke but these experiences and others may have forged him into the hardened tough strong and wise leader he later became. His constant hunger to learn and desire to become better as a player and leader I believe forged a guy who was completely ill-suited for leadership (completely lacking self-awareness and unnecessary bully) into a great leader. Michael Jordan always had the "leadership gene" because he was always self aware and self conscious. This guy made himself one through constant effort.
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 11:27 am    Post subject:

he was on ryen russillo's pod today; will be listening to it soon
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 8:11 pm    Post subject:

1995Lakers wrote:
governator wrote:
just read some excerpt... that was Kobe crying on Samaki's voicemail? GTFOH


Dont forget this is a completely different Kobe. Myself, I did not like Kobe at all during the 3-peat era as I always got the sense something was off with this guy. Read the part about the Eagle Rock, and you start to understand how this scared wannabe tough guy was a complete joke but these experiences and others may have forged him into the hardened tough strong and wise leader he later became. His constant hunger to learn and desire to become better as a player and leader I believe forged a guy who was completely ill-suited for leadership (completely lacking self-awareness and unnecessary bully) into a great leader. Michael Jordan always had the "leadership gene" because he was always self aware and self conscious. This guy made himself one through constant effort.


Having followed the squad with more time on my hands back then (student and just started working versus family man, etc), I vividly remember some of the issues around Kobe, the rumors, and everything that went with that.

I have not read that book, but sometimes folks forget pre-Colorado incident Kobe had a relatively squeaky clean public image. He had endorsements with Sprite, McDonalds, etc, etc. Heck, I remember when the Sacramento Bee suggested Kobe got sick before a game from a night of drinking he became really upset and demanded a retraction - the reality was he had a bout of food poisoning.

Underneath that, however, was always the constant rumors (which you knew had to have some truth) about difficulties with teammates. That laker team could have signed Charles Oakley, but he showed up, learned about the Shaq-Kobe dispute(s) and what it was like playing with Kobe, and said thanks but no thanks. Lost a ring because of that decision.

I dont know if this was true or not, but I recall hearing (back then) Kobe then got tats to "look tougher", figuring he had to better fit in. So in many ways the tale being spun is very true - a tremendous talent, gifted basketball player, who had just not yet found who he was as a man yet.

It took Shaq, Phil, and the rest to part ways from him to start growing up. It took the Colorado incident (remember he broke the player code? He said "well shaq does this all the time" when discussing his affair...he pulled DeAngelo Russell before DeAngelo Russell!) to make him reflect more as to what was important. Basically, for him to really look at the mirror and ask himself "what type of man do I want to be?" it took him losing almost everything - *winning* basketball games, a foundational mentor, a guy who wanted to be his big brother, his clean public image, his reputation, his endorsements (only Nike continued to support him), his family life, etc, etc.

From perhaps his greatest personal challenge - evaluating himself as a human being - came someone that evolved from that. The very same determination he used to that made him so good at the game he utilized to better himself as a human being in many different ways: Husband, dad, family man, and eventually mentor and basketball ambassador.

Sometimes it takes that to really figure yourself out.
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 8:51 pm    Post subject:

DrDent wrote:
1995Lakers wrote:
governator wrote:
just read some excerpt... that was Kobe crying on Samaki's voicemail? GTFOH


Dont forget this is a completely different Kobe. Myself, I did not like Kobe at all during the 3-peat era as I always got the sense something was off with this guy. Read the part about the Eagle Rock, and you start to understand how this scared wannabe tough guy was a complete joke but these experiences and others may have forged him into the hardened tough strong and wise leader he later became. His constant hunger to learn and desire to become better as a player and leader I believe forged a guy who was completely ill-suited for leadership (completely lacking self-awareness and unnecessary bully) into a great leader. Michael Jordan always had the "leadership gene" because he was always self aware and self conscious. This guy made himself one through constant effort.


Having followed the squad with more time on my hands back then (student and just started working versus family man, etc), I vividly remember some of the issues around Kobe, the rumors, and everything that went with that.

I have not read that book, but sometimes folks forget pre-Colorado incident Kobe had a relatively squeaky clean public image. He had endorsements with Sprite, McDonalds, etc, etc. Heck, I remember when the Sacramento Bee suggested Kobe got sick before a game from a night of drinking he became really upset and demanded a retraction - the reality was he had a bout of food poisoning.

Underneath that, however, was always the constant rumors (which you knew had to have some truth) about difficulties with teammates. That laker team could have signed Charles Oakley, but he showed up, learned about the Shaq-Kobe dispute(s) and what it was like playing with Kobe, and said thanks but no thanks. Lost a ring because of that decision.

I dont know if this was true or not, but I recall hearing (back then) Kobe then got tats to "look tougher", figuring he had to better fit in. So in many ways the tale being spun is very true - a tremendous talent, gifted basketball player, who had just not yet found who he was as a man yet.

It took Shaq, Phil, and the rest to part ways from him to start growing up. It took the Colorado incident (remember he broke the player code? He said "well shaq does this all the time" when discussing his affair...he pulled DeAngelo Russell before DeAngelo Russell!) to make him reflect more as to what was important. Basically, for him to really look at the mirror and ask himself "what type of man do I want to be?" it took him losing almost everything - *winning* basketball games, a foundational mentor, a guy who wanted to be his big brother, his clean public image, his reputation, his endorsements (only Nike continued to support him), his family life, etc, etc.

From perhaps his greatest personal challenge - evaluating himself as a human being - came someone that evolved from that. The very same determination he used to that made him so good at the game he utilized to better himself as a human being in many different ways: Husband, dad, family man, and eventually mentor and basketball ambassador.

Sometimes it takes that to really figure yourself out.


And that all makes perfect sense. Kobe was 17 joining a league and a team of mid 20's-mid 30's players. He was 100% a fish out of water. At the risk of sounding like a curmudgeon, toung players these are playing Call of Duty online with almost all their teammates. That took some Rock of Gibraltar sized stones to do what Kobe did.
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 9:27 pm    Post subject:

DrDent wrote:
1995Lakers wrote:
governator wrote:
just read some excerpt... that was Kobe crying on Samaki's voicemail? GTFOH


Dont forget this is a completely different Kobe. Myself, I did not like Kobe at all during the 3-peat era as I always got the sense something was off with this guy. Read the part about the Eagle Rock, and you start to understand how this scared wannabe tough guy was a complete joke but these experiences and others may have forged him into the hardened tough strong and wise leader he later became. His constant hunger to learn and desire to become better as a player and leader I believe forged a guy who was completely ill-suited for leadership (completely lacking self-awareness and unnecessary bully) into a great leader. Michael Jordan always had the "leadership gene" because he was always self aware and self conscious. This guy made himself one through constant effort.


Having followed the squad with more time on my hands back then (student and just started working versus family man, etc), I vividly remember some of the issues around Kobe, the rumors, and everything that went with that.

I have not read that book, but sometimes folks forget pre-Colorado incident Kobe had a relatively squeaky clean public image. He had endorsements with Sprite, McDonalds, etc, etc. Heck, I remember when the Sacramento Bee suggested Kobe got sick before a game from a night of drinking he became really upset and demanded a retraction - the reality was he had a bout of food poisoning.

Underneath that, however, was always the constant rumors (which you knew had to have some truth) about difficulties with teammates. That laker team could have signed Charles Oakley, but he showed up, learned about the Shaq-Kobe dispute(s) and what it was like playing with Kobe, and said thanks but no thanks. Lost a ring because of that decision.

I dont know if this was true or not, but I recall hearing (back then) Kobe then got tats to "look tougher", figuring he had to better fit in. So in many ways the tale being spun is very true - a tremendous talent, gifted basketball player, who had just not yet found who he was as a man yet.

It took Shaq, Phil, and the rest to part ways from him to start growing up. It took the Colorado incident (remember he broke the player code? He said "well shaq does this all the time" when discussing his affair...he pulled DeAngelo Russell before DeAngelo Russell!) to make him reflect more as to what was important. Basically, for him to really look at the mirror and ask himself "what type of man do I want to be?" it took him losing almost everything - *winning* basketball games, a foundational mentor, a guy who wanted to be his big brother, his clean public image, his reputation, his endorsements (only Nike continued to support him), his family life, etc, etc.

From perhaps his greatest personal challenge - evaluating himself as a human being - came someone that evolved from that. The very same determination he used to that made him so good at the game he utilized to better himself as a human being in many different ways: Husband, dad, family man, and eventually mentor and basketball ambassador.

Sometimes it takes that to really figure yourself out.


Its actually quite amazing but I think you were spot on with everything and you knew it without reading the book - your conclusions and analysis of Kobe was almost exactly spot on with the book. That Oakley story was something I didnt know - I knew at the time we met him over lunch but I always figured he didnt accept because he was another who pulled a Kendall Gill on us - saying he wanted to be part of a title team but not willing to take the paycut. In fact Im sure this was the message the Lakers were putting out. Im really glad the book set the record straight on Van Exel (dedicated a chapter to him)- really likeable person at heart but just lived through a tough childhood that was directly correlated with why he later had a problem with authority and Del Harris. Cedric Ceballos....lol....
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:19 pm    Post subject:

1995Lakers wrote:
DrDent wrote:
1995Lakers wrote:
governator wrote:
just read some excerpt... that was Kobe crying on Samaki's voicemail? GTFOH


Dont forget this is a completely different Kobe. Myself, I did not like Kobe at all during the 3-peat era as I always got the sense something was off with this guy. Read the part about the Eagle Rock, and you start to understand how this scared wannabe tough guy was a complete joke but these experiences and others may have forged him into the hardened tough strong and wise leader he later became. His constant hunger to learn and desire to become better as a player and leader I believe forged a guy who was completely ill-suited for leadership (completely lacking self-awareness and unnecessary bully) into a great leader. Michael Jordan always had the "leadership gene" because he was always self aware and self conscious. This guy made himself one through constant effort.


Having followed the squad with more time on my hands back then (student and just started working versus family man, etc), I vividly remember some of the issues around Kobe, the rumors, and everything that went with that.

I have not read that book, but sometimes folks forget pre-Colorado incident Kobe had a relatively squeaky clean public image. He had endorsements with Sprite, McDonalds, etc, etc. Heck, I remember when the Sacramento Bee suggested Kobe got sick before a game from a night of drinking he became really upset and demanded a retraction - the reality was he had a bout of food poisoning.

Underneath that, however, was always the constant rumors (which you knew had to have some truth) about difficulties with teammates. That laker team could have signed Charles Oakley, but he showed up, learned about the Shaq-Kobe dispute(s) and what it was like playing with Kobe, and said thanks but no thanks. Lost a ring because of that decision.

I dont know if this was true or not, but I recall hearing (back then) Kobe then got tats to "look tougher", figuring he had to better fit in. So in many ways the tale being spun is very true - a tremendous talent, gifted basketball player, who had just not yet found who he was as a man yet.

It took Shaq, Phil, and the rest to part ways from him to start growing up. It took the Colorado incident (remember he broke the player code? He said "well shaq does this all the time" when discussing his affair...he pulled DeAngelo Russell before DeAngelo Russell!) to make him reflect more as to what was important. Basically, for him to really look at the mirror and ask himself "what type of man do I want to be?" it took him losing almost everything - *winning* basketball games, a foundational mentor, a guy who wanted to be his big brother, his clean public image, his reputation, his endorsements (only Nike continued to support him), his family life, etc, etc.

From perhaps his greatest personal challenge - evaluating himself as a human being - came someone that evolved from that. The very same determination he used to that made him so good at the game he utilized to better himself as a human being in many different ways: Husband, dad, family man, and eventually mentor and basketball ambassador.

Sometimes it takes that to really figure yourself out.


Its actually quite amazing but I think you were spot on with everything and you knew it without reading the book - your conclusions and analysis of Kobe was almost exactly spot on with the book. That Oakley story was something I didnt know - I knew at the time we met him over lunch but I always figured he didnt accept because he was another who pulled a Kendall Gill on us - saying he wanted to be part of a title team but not willing to take the paycut. In fact Im sure this was the message the Lakers were putting out. Im really glad the book set the record straight on Van Exel (dedicated a chapter to him)- really likeable person at heart but just lived through a tough childhood that was directly correlated with why he later had a problem with authority and Del Harris. Cedric Ceballos....lol....


Thanks man. Yea, while I "grew up" as a kid watching Showtime, I really got into following the Shaq Kobe Lakers. The new era of media, non stop sports talk radio stations, the internet, and constant information also made it alot easier to stay ontop of that stuff. He never met me personally (closest I came to that was seeing him with Vanessa at the old Benihana in Marina Del Rey way back when) but he definitely had an influence on me with his drive and using negative / bad events as a means to try and better himself.

You're selling me on that book and I will likely grab it for a trip down memory lane, especially with that Nick the Quick chapter!
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PostPosted: Wed Sep 23, 2020 10:50 pm    Post subject:

Bought it for Kindle today and read through the first chapter (which accounts for the 95-96 season and Magic's second comeback). Great reading - Pearlman is a very good story-teller and cultivated so many sources. Brought back a ton of memories. Definitely looking forward to reading the rest.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:50 am    Post subject:

In The Show they talked about it quite a bit too, though in less detail since it had less time dedicated to it. The basic consensus by the time Phil took over was that Kobe was the teams problem. He rubbed all of his teammates the wrong way, and the only guy who had any type of friendship with his was Fisher.

Shaq probably didn't help. He hung out with everyone, and rubbed everything in Kobe's face (a teenager at the time). While Kobe kept to himself and tended to ruffle the feathers of his teammates. So it was easy to see why they sided with Shaq. But Kobe didn't help himself there, and the general consensus was that he was selfish.

Phil Jackson said that by the time he came to the Lakers he realized how bad it was. At one point after a game where the team was blaming everything on Kobe he had a film session and explicitly pointed out plays to try to justify why they weren't Kobe's fault because he had become the team's scapegoat. But then by the next season Phil gives the interview with Bob Costas where he wasn't exactly supportive of Kobe and insinuated it out that if it came between him and Shaq it would be Shaq. And of course a few years later Phil gave the ultimatum that it was him or Kobe.

He did seem to open up and mature as he got older. Mending his bridges with Phil. But I think in general Kobe was probably never the most loveable guy in the locker room. Even during the post-Shaq title years Odom and Fisher were the locker room leaders, where Kobe led by example.

That having been said, I think a lot of what made him rub his teammates the wrong way is also what made him great. Tex Winter was once asked to compare how Kobe treated his teammates to how Jordan treated his and he said that Jordan was harsher on his. In the end his results are what mattered most.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:55 am    Post subject:

What season did Oakley almost join the Shaq/Kobe Lakers? That kind of stuff always fascinates me because I like to imagine what the team could've been like.

Are you sure about the Kobe tattoo rumors? I always thought that arm tattoo he got post-Colorado was his first (at least his first visible one), as a way to publicly atone for his martial indiscretions.

Also, it always bothered me that Kobe got so demonized for "snitching on Shaq" during the Colorado incident. I'm not condoning what he did in a moment of panic/fear. But people act as if Kobe went to the press himself to spill the tea on Shaq's extramarital affairs, when instead it was the Vail Police Department that leaked the interview to the press (most likely on purpose, knowing that it would hurt him in the eyes of the public). Police departments do shady stuff like that all the time because they know it's a way to taint the accused in the public eye.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 3:58 am    Post subject:

J.C. Smith wrote:
In The Show they talked about it quite a bit too, though in less detail since it had less time dedicated to it. The basic consensus by the time Phil took over was that Kobe was the teams problem. He rubbed all of his teammates the wrong way, and the only guy who had any type of friendship with his was Fisher.

Shaq probably didn't help. He hung out with everyone, and rubbed everything in Kobe's face (a teenager at the time). While Kobe kept to himself and tended to ruffle the feathers of his teammates. So it was easy to see why they sided with Shaq. But Kobe didn't help himself there, and the general consensus was that he was selfish.

Phil Jackson said that by the time he came to the Lakers he realized how bad it was. At one point after a game where the team was blaming everything on Kobe he had a film session and explicitly pointed out plays to try to justify why they weren't Kobe's fault because he had become the team's scapegoat. But then by the next season Phil gives the interview with Bob Costas where he wasn't exactly supportive of Kobe and insinuated it out that if it came between him and Shaq it would be Shaq. And of course a few years later Phil gave the ultimatum that it was him or Kobe.

He did seem to open up and mature as he got older. Mending his bridges with Phil. But I think in general Kobe was probably never the most loveable guy in the locker room. Even during the post-Shaq title years Odom and Fisher were the locker room leaders, where Kobe led by example.

That having been said, I think a lot of what made him rub his teammates the wrong way is also what made him great. Tex Winter was once asked to compare how Kobe treated his teammates to how Jordan treated his and he said that Jordan was harsher on his. In the end his results are what mattered most.


Yes. The biggest difference between Jordan's style of leadership and Kobe's style of leadership is that Jordan got glorified and excused for his while Kobe got demonized for his.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:00 am    Post subject:

ok, I'm intrigued, just ordered from amazon, kindle time
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:09 am    Post subject:

governator wrote:
ok, I'm intrigued, just ordered from amazon, kindle time


update: at Magic Johnson comeback story... this writer style is a nice read
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:18 am    Post subject:

governator wrote:
governator wrote:
ok, I'm intrigued, just ordered from amazon, kindle time


update: at Magic Johnson comeback story... this writer style is a nice read

Right lol man did not realize how unlikable and egotistical Cedric Ceballos was. Damn lol
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:21 am    Post subject:

Bought it. Looking fwrd to reading.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:34 am    Post subject:

dcastillo wrote:
governator wrote:
governator wrote:
ok, I'm intrigued, just ordered from amazon, kindle time


update: at Magic Johnson comeback story... this writer style is a nice read

Right lol man did not realize how unlikable and egotistical Cedric Ceballos was. Damn lol

yo this (bleep) is fire, I haven't stopped reading this at work all day, Kobe at ABCD camp, work gotta wait lol
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 7:39 am    Post subject:

dcastillo wrote:
Right lol man did not realize how unlikable and egotistical Cedric Ceballos was. Damn lol


Yeah there's a reason Phoenix just gave him away to the Lakers. 'Chise was an issue. That having been said, he was still a worthwhile acquisition as a stopgap for those Lake Show teams.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 10:09 am    Post subject:

I doubt anything in this book is going to surprise anyone tbh.

So Pearlman and Company can spare the fake apologies just admit that you were willing to put it out there and own it.

Although everytime I see Cedric Ceballos I think of Lake Havasu
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 11:14 am    Post subject:

I wish Kobe were still alive in general ... but I also wish he were still alive to defend/explain/comment on parts of this book
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 11:59 am    Post subject:

FYI... you can get the audible version free. Amazon always has free trials. I don't really do audible. I've only signed up every time there is a Laker book. SHOWTIME is in my library from the previous free trial. LOL! Be sure to cancel before your 30 days.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 11:59 am    Post subject:

Haven't read the book, but I've listened to a couple podcasts the the author was on. I'm super intrigued.

He's pretty careful to mention that the book was basically completely done before Kobe passed in January. There's definitely some pretty unflattering stuff in there. But in a way it's good, because you get the actual truth -- I'm sure there are a lot of guys from that era that felt a certain way about Kobe that would never divulge how they actually felt now that he's gone. He definitely wasn't the same person from that '96 - '04 era that he was from really around '08 onwards (which is completely understandable given that he was 17 in '96)
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:14 pm    Post subject:

Batguano wrote:
J.C. Smith wrote:
In The Show they talked about it quite a bit too, though in less detail since it had less time dedicated to it. The basic consensus by the time Phil took over was that Kobe was the teams problem. He rubbed all of his teammates the wrong way, and the only guy who had any type of friendship with his was Fisher.

Shaq probably didn't help. He hung out with everyone, and rubbed everything in Kobe's face (a teenager at the time). While Kobe kept to himself and tended to ruffle the feathers of his teammates. So it was easy to see why they sided with Shaq. But Kobe didn't help himself there, and the general consensus was that he was selfish.

Phil Jackson said that by the time he came to the Lakers he realized how bad it was. At one point after a game where the team was blaming everything on Kobe he had a film session and explicitly pointed out plays to try to justify why they weren't Kobe's fault because he had become the team's scapegoat. But then by the next season Phil gives the interview with Bob Costas where he wasn't exactly supportive of Kobe and insinuated it out that if it came between him and Shaq it would be Shaq. And of course a few years later Phil gave the ultimatum that it was him or Kobe.

He did seem to open up and mature as he got older. Mending his bridges with Phil. But I think in general Kobe was probably never the most loveable guy in the locker room. Even during the post-Shaq title years Odom and Fisher were the locker room leaders, where Kobe led by example.

That having been said, I think a lot of what made him rub his teammates the wrong way is also what made him great. Tex Winter was once asked to compare how Kobe treated his teammates to how Jordan treated his and he said that Jordan was harsher on his. In the end his results are what mattered most.


Yes. The biggest difference between Jordan's style of leadership and Kobe's style of leadership is that Jordan got glorified and excused for his while Kobe got demonized for his.


During the 96-04 time period there was no leadership from Kobe, mostly due to his age as he was surrounded by vets often much older than him. But even if he was older than his teammates, that Jordan comparison is wrong and coddles and excuses Bryant's behavior from that time period. Kobe was that super talented, universally hated guy at work that Im sure a lot of us have dealt with. Kobe WAS the problem. As one Laker perfectly put it, the guy lacked a social antenna that most of us were just born with in terms of knowing what to say and what not to say at certain times. MJ while he was often just as ruthless if not more than Kobe, was always self aware and self conscious. The stuff he did did not make people think he was being a prick for no reason and he knew when and how to make guys feel good about themselves. Guys like Eric Chenowith and Jimmy King have no reason to lie about Kobe but the stuff said about him is extremely unflattering and all paint a similar picture of who this guy was.
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PostPosted: Thu Sep 24, 2020 1:19 pm    Post subject:

governator wrote:
dcastillo wrote:
governator wrote:
governator wrote:
ok, I'm intrigued, just ordered from amazon, kindle time


update: at Magic Johnson comeback story... this writer style is a nice read

Right lol man did not realize how unlikable and egotistical Cedric Ceballos was. Damn lol

yo this (bleep) is fire, I haven't stopped reading this at work all day, Kobe at ABCD camp, work gotta wait lol

DeVos... dumbass Orlando
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