Kobe Bryant The Most Selfish Player in the NBA

Topics: Kobe Bryant 24, Kobe Bryant Background, Kobe Bryant Blog, LA Lakers, Photos of Kobe Bryant

By: Greg Wattley

On Monday February 6th Kobe Bryan became the fifth leading scorer (accumulating 28,601 points) in NBA history after scoring 28 points in a loss 95-90 to the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers. This momentous achievement allowed Kobe to join an elite fraternity which includes the likes of Michael Jordan, Moses Malone, Karl Malone, Wilt Chamberlain, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (No. 1 all-time NBA leading scorer with 38,387 points).

After the game Kobe couldn’t wait to sit down with ESPN wannabe reporter Stephen A. Smith for an interview about his latest feat. Over the years I have really tried to give the guy the benefit of the doubt. But the thing I found unfathomable was the fact that throughout the entire interview this smock couldn’t wipe the grin off his face while winnable report kept flattering him with complements—did I mention the Lakers loss the game and it seems Mr. Kobe couldn’t give a damn.

Every NBA team scouting reports for the Lakers know this guy will shoot the ball first and pass only when he is in trouble and cannot get off a shot. Opposing teams know 99 percent of the time HE WILL TAKE THE FINAL SHOT.

We all remembered just five years ago he scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors—and he took 46 shots and 20 rebounds (more than have the shots taken by the rest of his teammates).

For eight years (from 1996 to 2004) Kobe formed a dynamic duo with Shaquille O’Neal and

Kobe Bryant Kobe Bryant The Most Selfish Player in the NBA

Kobe Bryant: LA Lakers 24

dominated the basketball world winning three consecutive NBA Championships (2000, 2001, 2002) and making an NBA Finals appearance in 2004 (which they loss to the Boston Celtics). Both he and Shaq could have dominated the NBA world for much longer—had he not been an egotistical, selfish pre-Madonna. He couldn’t handle sharing the spotlight with Shaq. Alongside O’Neal, Kobe could have easily won more than three championships. But we all know how the drama played out—there would only be one alpha-male in Tinsel Town. As if his ego wasn’t big enough Kobe gave the Lakers Organization an ultimatum they had to make a choice—it was either him or the diesel. The Lakers eventually traded O’Neal to the Miami Heat and rewarded Bryant with a hefty $136 million dollar contract.

Talk about kicking a guy when he is down, Kobe decided to throw Shaq under the bus even further as was evident in an police report affidavit while battling what became public knowledge of the first of many indiscretions (Vale Colorado, sexual assault case, Vale Colorado in 2003)—he went on record saying he should have paid off his alleged accuser like Shaq does with all his women—paying off some of them with upwards of $1 million to keep quiet.

The feud between Kobe and Shaq became so toxic that former Lakers head coach Phil Jackson wrote a tell all book called The Last Season: A Team in Search of Its Soul –detailing how unruly, selfish and how much of a pre-Madonna Kobe Bryant really is.

To add insult to injury, in 2007 in an effort to embarrass Lakers Organization Kobe publicly demanded to be traded. Rather than discussing his displeasure with the Organization in house, Kobe decided to go public demand a trade—coming across like a spoilt petulant child who didn’t get his way. He also went public admitting his displeasure about the Lamar Odom trade—adding he had no idea which direction the team was heading in. The number of times he has been livid with the Laker front office are too numerous to discuss here.

Let’s not forget his latest indiscretions where it has been alleged he cheated on his wife with more 100 women—and how ironic, paid off some of these women to keep quiet as he alleged Shaq did —guess in some ways he learned a thing or two from the Big Aristotle.

Don’t get me wrong the guy is as good a defensive player as he is offensively. Numbers don’t lie—the facts are what they are—you don’t get to be a nine-time All-Defensive first team; 14-time All-Star (soonto be 15), with several MVP titles (2008 NBA, two-time Finals, and four-time All-Star—5 times NBA champion, two-times he has led the league in scoring, and 1997 Slam Dunk champion and not be one of the hardest working athletes in any sport.

But I find it rather ironic that over a career that spans 15 years to-date—with all the accolades and
hardware he’s racked-up Kobe still hasn’t learned to become the best player he can be—which involvesputting the team first and getting his teammates more involved.

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13 thoughts on “Kobe Bryant The Most Selfish Player in the NBA”

Doug Tanaka on February 12, 2012 at 8:36 am said:

Good article. I would have enjoyed it more if I wasn’t cringing every time you wrote “pre-Madonna”. While it does sound the same, the true term is “prima donna”. It originated from opera and in Italian means “first lady”. the leading lady in an opera production. After a while it came to denote someone who abuses their leading status by making selfish demands, etc., exactly how you intended its usage to be.

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Monty on February 12, 2012 at 11:02 pm said:

Great article! Kobe has skill, but you are right he is pretty selfish!! Definitely not a team player….

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Big_man_on_campus on February 12, 2012 at 11:52 pm said:

Doug Tanaka..thanks for taking us on a journey down the history path about the root and spelling of the word “prima donna” –the fact that a’ figure of speech’ went over your head is laughable. I get what the writer was trying to spin, more so that the actual spelling of the word he was drawning comparison with “Marge–the real Madonna”–material girl, selfish, controversial hard to get along with. Please don’t tell me you still don’t get it?

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Brinee Sue on February 13, 2012 at 12:46 am said:

First of all, you are a very Smooth writer!! I agree for the most part…but man My brother would not be too pleased! sooo ummm I have nothing sophisticated to say from here….except You ROCK!!! And…go JAZZ!

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ibou on February 13, 2012 at 8:00 am said:

Hate his selfishness, hunger, he is loved for the same reasons, u can’t knock 5 ‘ ships

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Big_man_on_campus on February 14, 2012 at 4:08 am said:

Ibou, you’re right he does have five rings but imagine how much more he could have had he not run Superman out of L.A.

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Monty on February 14, 2012 at 5:07 am said:

Cheated with 100+ women!!! ….I’m glad his ex-wife got half his money! She should have gotten more with the crap she put up with!

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June on February 16, 2012 at 2:11 am said:

Can’t blame the guy for his actions….this is a primary example of what our world drives people to. Not only in sports but across all spans of power/money giving opportunities . Some are just better at hiding it than others at least kobe has the balls to show his true colors instead of flat out deceiving everyone

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- Natividad on May 19, 2012 at 3:59 pm said:
  
  Kobe is nothing to admire…the fact that he shows he’s a complete disgrace doesn’t mean he’s something to be admired. Be a little humble instead of paying women and criticizing everything teammates do be a real man and respect your wife and family. Lakers have lost many a games because of his ways…the guy still does not learn…He is not the best NBA player there were many more before him that were better…
  
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envases de madera on March 4, 2012 at 4:46 am said:

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Zach on March 21, 2012 at 3:21 am said:

Kobe is very selfish, but it all comes down to the score board doesn’t matter if he cheats or has any sexual charges all the really matters is his performance on the court.

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This blog is a joke on June 1, 2012 at 8:36 pm said:

You call Stephen A. Smith a wanna be reporter yet you capatalize a whole sentence to try and make a point? Great reporting skills on your part! (That’s sarcasm by the way) Kobe is a champion period, Shaquille O’neal drove himself out of LA by coming into the season fat year after year. Oh and Shaq totally got along with Wade and even James right? Wrong! He was a walking shit storm that didn’t get along with any superstar. His relationship with D. Howard proves just that. So wake up and smell the coffee brother your just another bum blogging fake drama while Kobe makes that money.

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Marv on June 2, 2012 at 6:29 pm said:

Calling Kobe selfish is nothing new but using his off-court actions as if that proves that point in any way makes any other point you tried to make moot and why you would play Stephen A. with all his credentials is beyond me. But was Kobe selfish while winning those 3 chips with Shaq or while winning the two with Gasol afterwards? Was Kobe being selfish while driving Shaq out of L.A. or was it Shaq who was calling out management because they wouldn’t pay him $30 mil? Shaq was traded because they didn’t want to invest that type of cash in a player who wasn’t dedicated which is exactly what Kobe is. Dedicated, hard-working, uber-confident, and one of the most accomplished NBA players ever or in your words ‘selfish.’

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