Lakers Unveil Statue Honoring Kobe Bryant, Will Unveil Two More Bryant Statues Later
The L.A. Lakers honored Kobe Bryant on 2/8/24--a date representing his daughter Gianna's jersey number as well as both jersey numbers that Kobe wore during his 20 season Lakers career--by unveiling a statue depicting Bryant wearing jersey number eight and raising his right arm triumphantly after scoring 81 points versus the Toronto Raptors on January 22, 2006. The base of the statue carries the inscriptions Kobe Bean Bryant and "Black Mamba" above a list of a few of his many accomplishments.
Bryant's widow Vanessa was the final speaker before the Lakers unveiled the Bryant statue. Vanessa explained that there will be two other Bryant statues: one will include Bryant alongside Gianna, and the other will depict Bryant wearing jersey number 24. Vanessa took a preemptive strike against anyone who might criticize how tonight's statue looks--a sad certainty in an era of social media oversaturation--by noting that Bryant chose the pose used for the statue and he provided other input about the design. Vanessa said that she only suggested a few alterations, including adding tattoos on Bryant's arms in tribute to all of his daughters even though not all of his daughters had been born yet in 2006. Vanessa added, "This moment isn't just for Kobe, but it is for all of you
who have been rooting for him for all of these years...It brings me
joy to see how much love you have for all of us. We love you back."
During TNT's pregame show, Shaquille O'Neal spoke from the heart about winning three straight NBA championships while playing alongside Bryant, who he called his best teammate ever. It is no secret that Bryant and O'Neal openly feuded while they were teammates, mainly because Bryant had a much more serious and disciplined approach to the game than O'Neal did. O'Neal's current version of those events--that he and Bryant were not really feuding but just both pushing each other to be great--has more than a whiff of revisionist history to it but it is true that they made their peace with each other years before Bryant died, so perhaps it is best that O'Neal does not dwell on every detail of their feud or try to act like he was right.
This statue is just the latest in a series of posthumous honors and recognition for Bryant, who was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021. In 2022, the NBA named the All-Star Game MVP after him. I am proud that I contributed to Forever Mamba--a
special Kobe Bryant tribute magazine published by Lindy's Sports and
edited by Roland Lazenby--and that I wrote an essay for a Kobe Bryant Tribute magazine published in Japan.
It has been four years since Kobe Bryant died in a helicopter crash alongside his daughter Gianna and seven others. Bryant and Gianna have been mourned by millions of people around the world, but it should always be remembered that the families of the seven other people who died suffered that day, and they mourn just as deeply.
Vanessa has displayed remarkable grace and poise in the wake of losing her husband and her second eldest daughter on the same horrible day. Much as Jacqueline Kennedy sought to preserve and enhance the legacy of her slain husband John F. Kennedy, it is evident that Vanessa has put a lot of thought into how to best honor and remember her husband and their daughter. Vanessa's speech during Bryant's memorial ceremony and her speech representing Bryant during the Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony highlighted her intelligence, her sensitivity, and her amazing ability to maintain composure while processing tremendous grief. She displayed those same qualities during her speech prior to the statue's unveiling. Vanessa is insuring that Bryant's legacy will endure not just in terms of his basketball accomplishments but also in terms of his post-basketball playing life that had only just begun when it was so cruelly cut short.
I remember as a child reading about Roberto Clemente's tragic passing at 38 in a plane crash as he flew to Nicaragua to personally deliver relief supplies for earthquake victims. The baseball legend had just logged his 3000th career hit, punctuating a brilliant career during which he won two World Series titles (1960, 1971) and one National League MVP (1966). I am not sure how to best express this, but when you learn about someone who has already tragically died at a young age you absorb the timing and manner of death as part of his life story--it is history by the time you know about it. It is different when someone whose life you followed--let alone someone who you personally interacted with on multiple occasions--dies suddenly and unexpectedly at a young age. Roberto Clemente is a historical figure to me: I admire and respect him, but his life did not intersect with my life.
I saw Kobe Bryant play in person. I spoke with him before games, and I spoke with him after games. I saw his mangled pinkie finger up close in person and could not understand how someone could play basketball at all--let alone dominate--with such an injury to his shooting hand; it was perhaps even more amazing when he played despite suffering an avulsion fracture to the index finger of his shooting hand, turning that finger into a bruised, purplish appendage that I also saw up close in person. At some level we all know about our mortality, but when someone who is young and seemingly invincible dies suddenly it is jarring. I don't mean to make this about me; Bryant may be a big part of my life journey because I wrote about him so frequently, but I don't pretend that I was a big part of his life journey. My point is that for those of us who are old enough to remember observing Bryant's life, his death will always be a milestone event that we process differently than we process the deaths of historical figures who perished outside of our living memory.
Labels: Gianna Bryant, Kobe Bryant, L.A. Lakers, Shaquille O'Neal, Vanessa Bryant
posted by David Friedman @ 9:58 PM
Kobe Bryant Headlines the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 was announced in April 2020, but the induction ceremony was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic; the most recent Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame Induction took place in September 2019. The Class of 2020 includes Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, and Kevin Garnett.
The Class of 2020 had been eagerly anticipated for several years, but the anticipation took a tragic turn with the death of Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others in a January 2020 helicopter crash. We will never hear Bryant's acceptance speech. What tone would he have set? Would he have been serious, humorous, defiant, or some combination of all of the above? Michael Jordan, who was tapped by Bryant's widow Vanessa to be Bryant's Hall of Fame presenter, used his 2009 Hall of Fame acceptance speech as a platform to settle old scores, both real and imagined. Some people were offended, others were amused, but no one could deny that Jordan was displaying his authentic self.
We saw a different, softer side of Jordan when he spoke at Bryant's memorial service last year, but we will never know how Bryant would have handled his special Hall of Fame moment. However, Vanessa Bryant delivered a remarkably poised and thoughtful speech on behalf of her husband. How can someone who lost her husband and one of her daughters in such a sudden and shocking fashion not only keep her emotions together but speak so eloquently? I recall the snarky ways that many media members referred to her after she married Bryant, and I am reminded yet again why I do not trust what the media says unless those assertions are supported by significant and objective evidence.
Vanessa Bryant thanked Jordan for being Kobe Bryant's presenter: "Kobe admired you. This means so much to us." Then, Vanessa said, "I used to always avoid praising my husband in public, because I felt
like he got enough praise from his fans around the world and someone had
to bring him back to reality. Right now, I'm sure he's laughing in
heaven because I'm about to praise him in public for his accomplishments
on one of the most public stages."
Vanessa provided some insight about how much Hall of Fame induction meant to Kobe: "He didn't really talk about upcoming awards, but he did mention this
one a week before Gigi passed. My husband and I were sitting at our
kitchen island, and he and I had a conversation about my mother- and
father-in-law attending tonight's enshrinement. I invited my mother- and
father-in-law to tonight's enshrinement to thank them for bringing one
of the most amazing human beings into this world. Pam and Joe, thank you
for raising Kobe to be exceptional. Thank you to all of Kobe's family.
Sharia, you've gone above and beyond. I love you."
Vanessa added, "If my husband were here tonight, he
would have a long list of people to thank that helped inspire him and
equip him to be in the Hall of Fame. Family, friends,
mentors, the Lakers, teammates, muses and opponents."
She sounded most like Kobe when she also thanked the doubters and the critics for inspiring Kobe to prove them wrong: "I do know that he would thank everyone
that helped him get here, including the people that doubted him and the
people that worked against him and told him he couldn't attain his
goals. He would thank all of them for motivating him to be
here. After all, he proved you wrong."
Vanessa provided a short list of the many injuries that Kobe overcame during his career, and she explained why he regularly played through those injuries: "People
don't know this, but one of the reasons my husband played through
injuries and pain was because he said he remembered being a little kid
sitting in the nosebleeds with his dad to watch his favorite player
play. He could recall the car ride,
the convos and the excitement of being lucky enough to have a seat in
the arena. Kobe didn't want to disappoint his fans, especially the ones in the 300
sections that saved up to watch him play--the kids with the same
excitement he once had."
Kobe Bryant did not practice "load management," and the game would be much better off if that odious phrase disappeared from NBA life.
Vanessa concluded, "Congratulations baby. All of your hard work and sacrifice has paid off.
You once told me, if you are going to bet on someone, bet on yourself.
I'm glad you bet on yourself, you overachiever. You did it. You're in the Hall of Fame now. You are a true champ. You're
not just an MVP. You're an all-time great. I'm so proud of you. I love
you forever and always. Kobe. Bean. Bryant."
Bryant and Duncan are two of the four "modern" members of my Pantheon, along with Shaquille O'Neal and LeBron James. Those four players collectively won 18 NBA championships, dominating the post-Michael Jordan era for two decades. Bryant's Lakers defeated Duncan's Spurs four times in six playoff
series, winning 18 out of 30 playoff games. Bryant's Lakers also defeated
Garnett's teams (Timberwolves/Celtics) three times in four playoff
series, winning 14 out of 25 playoff games. Bryant won five championships--tied with Duncan for the most NBA titles won by a star player in the post-Jordan era--plus two Finals MVPs (2009-10), and one regular season MVP (2008). Bryant finished in the top five in regular season MVP voting 11 times, and a good argument can be made that he deserved to win multiple regular season MVPs.
Duncan was not flashy, but he was efficient, fundamentally sound, and durable. He won his first NBA title in 1999 (his second pro season), and he won his fifth NBA title in 2014. Other than free throw shooting, Duncan had no skill set weaknesses. Duncan won two regular season MVPs (2002-03) and three Finals MVPs (1999, 2003, 2005). Duncan is routinely--and correctly--called the greatest power forward of all-time, yet it seems that media members and fans tend to underrate him. I have not and will not select one player as the greatest player of all-time, but it is not clear why only LeBron James is widely touted for that distinction among the four best players of the post-Jordan era. O'Neal, Duncan, and Bryant (listed in chronological order) each posted better Finals winning percentages than James (4-2 for O'Neal, 5-1 for Duncan, 5-2 for Bryant, 4-6 for James). Finals winning percentage is not the only--or even necessarily the most important--measure of greatness, but it means something, particularly since James spent a good portion of his prime trying (and mostly failing) to win championships while Duncan and Bryant both added to their championship totals. James never faced Bryant in a playoff series, but James went just 1-2 versus Duncan in the NBA Finals. Asserting that James is somehow a superior winner to Jordan (who went 6-0 in the NBA Finals) is bizarre, and asserting that James is a superior winner to Bill Russell (who went 11-1 in the NBA Finals) is nonsensical, particularly when James has not even established himself as the greatest winner of the post-Jordan era. Long story short, Duncan deserves more praise and recognition than he receives, but he is not the type of player or person who would whine about being disrespected while he is being handed a Finals MVP award.
Duncan began his speech by mentioning that this is the most nervous he had ever been, including all of his appearances in the NBA Finals. Despite his evident discomfort with public speaking, he spoke articulately, and he lavished praise on those who helped him along the way, including his parents, his coaches, and his teammates. He did not pick up a basketball until he was 14--his goal to become an Olympic swimmer was thwarted when a hurricane destroyed the swimming pool where he trained--but less than a decade later he was an NBA champion and a Finals MVP.
Garnett was not as polished or as efficient as Duncan in terms of low post scoring, nor was Garnett as effective protecting the paint (even though Garnett had much greater leaping ability than Duncan). Except for the 2003-04 season when Sam Cassell and Latrell Sprewell handled the clutch scoring duties as the Timberwolves advanced to the Western Conference Finals, Garnett's Minnesota teams did not accomplish much in the playoffs; he won his only NBA title in 2008 with Paul Pierce capturing the Finals MVP, and with Pierce combining with Ray Allen to handle the clutch scoring responsibilities for the Boston Celtics. This may sound strange and it is not meant as a criticism but just as an accurate description: Garnett was a very high functioning role player. Make no mistake, he deserves to be in the Hall of Fame and he is included in my 50 Greatest Players List, but his value was most notable in terms of high energy, rebounding, defense, and setting screens. Garnett was not going to take over a game offensively down the stretch, and he could not have won a championship without playing alongside multiple Hall of Famers who could take over a game offensively down the stretch; in that sense, Garnett differed from Bryant, Duncan, James, and even O'Neal, who could take over games offensively down the stretch despite being a poor free throw shooter.
Garnett volunteered to be the first Hall of Famer presented, joking that he wanted to get his speech in before the retired players fell asleep. Garnett graciously thanked Bill Willoughby, Darryl Dawkins, Moses Malone, and Spencer Haywood. In the 1970s, Willoughby, Dawkins, and Malone paved the way for high school players to jump directly to pro basketball without attending college, a path that no other player followed until Garnett accomplished this in 1995. Haywood won a U.S. Supreme Court case that resulted in the NBA instituting a "hardship" rule (now called "early entry") that benefited not only the high schoolers listed above, but also NBA legends who left college before their classes graduated, including Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas, and Michael Jordan.
The other 2020 Basketball Hall of Fame inductees include Eddie Sutton, Tamika Catchings, Kim Mulkey, Barbara Stevens, and Patrick Baumann. All of the Hall of Famers have inspirational life stories, but in this space I focus primarily on the NBA; the fourth 2020 inductee with significant NBA connections is Rudy Tomjanovich. He coached Bryant briefly in the 2004-05 season before health issues compelled him to resign at the Lakers' coach, but Tomjanovich is being inducted as a coach primarily because he led the Houston Rockets to back to back titles in 1994-95. His Rockets had a never say die attitude, epitomized by his famous quote, "Don't ever underestimate the heart of a champion!" That championship success would be meaningful to anyone, but the special meaning for Tomjanovich is that he will no longer be most remembered as the victim of Kermit Washington's savage punch that nearly killed him. Tomjanovich was an All-Star for the Rockets before suffering serious injuries from that punch, and he recovered enough to make the All-Star team again, but he was never the same as a player. It is testament to his heart of a champion that he not only returned to the court successfully but that he became such a great and beloved coach. Tomjanovich thanked the many coaches and commentators who spoke up about his worthiness as a Hall of Famer, and he used the platform provided by his speech to make a passionate appeal that Robert Horry--who won two championships while playing for Tomjanovich en route to capturing seven NBA titles overall--deserves to be inducted.
Labels: Basketball Hall of Fame, Kevin Garnett, Kobe Bryant, Rudy Tomjanovich, Tim Duncan, Vanessa Bryant
posted by David Friedman @ 12:44 AM
