Kobe in Effigy or Laker Lore?

When Kobe Bryant emerged from Monday’s loss to the Memphis Grizzlies as the Lakers’ all-time leading scorer passing “The Logo” Jerry West, I immediately began thinking about the post Kobe era of Lakerdom. 25,000 some odd points and the verdict is not out on Kobe “Bean”. Many things affect the retrospective opinions of fans and the greater sports community concerning the conflicted image perceptions of an iconic figure. There’s off-the-court behavior past and present, the supercilious disposition and the creepishly intense personality of a basketball imperialist all rolled into #24.

It’s worth a thoughtful scrimmage to consider whether fans and critics alike will crucify the Mamba or name their children after him. Actually, my wife has already had a Kobe or two in her class to show you where 30-something parents are beginning to stand in the debate. But when scrutiny and suspicion surrounded the murder of Michael Jordan’s father, Chicagoans still bowed to the statue in front of the United Center. Laker faithfuls took the public revelation of Magic’s disease acquiring sexual escapades in stride as well. Isn’t Kobe just as disputed in some circles? But again, in the pantheon of greats who wore the uniform belonging to one of the two most storied franchises in NBA history where does Bryant reside? Is he a compartmentalized future Hall-of-Famer whom we admire with eyes half-shut a la Pete Rose or Lawrence Taylor? Or is he a grossly diminished figure because of the chinks in his purple and gold armor? How should we even evaluate the guy who scored in one game more points than most college teams average on a nightly basis? Retirement is still perhaps several years off but ain’t no harm in startin’ the discussion now is there?