That same competitive fire that makes him so great is also one of his most glaring weaknesses. He is so competitive that it seems like he doesn’t know when it’s time to shut it down. Over the past few weeks he hasn’t been Kobe. He’s been injured Kobe, and seems reluctant admit it.
“I’m Bruce Willis,” Kobe says.
Just like in Die Hard, Kobe takes a beating but keeps kicking ass. As entertaining as that is, his ass kicking has slowed down over the past few weeks. Actually, it’s come to a startling halt. Not because Kobe has been playing hurt, but because he’s been playing injured. There’s a big difference.
Newly minted NFL Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith once told the story of how he hobbled through the 1996 and 1997 seasons on a bum wheel because he was too proud to sit down. Over those two years, knee and ankle injuries limited him to the worst statistical seasons of his career. When he finally got healthy the damage was already done, and Emmitt was no longer the player that led Dallas to three Super Bowl titles from ’92 to ‘95.
I’m not saying this will happen to Kobe. I mean, the dude’s a Rick James super freak. I’m simply saying that I don’t want to see this happen to Kobe, who at 31 years old should still dominate the game for at least another three seasons. I’m afraid that if the injuries continue to pile up, we might have seen the best that Kobe Bryant has to offer.
Next: Dealing with Injuries
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