Greeson: Kobe's legacy different on and off the floor

Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant smiles as he arrives for the last NBA basketball game of his career, against thw Utah Jazz, Wednesday, April 13, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Los Angeles Lakers' Kobe Bryant smiles as he arrives for the last NBA basketball game of his career, against thw Utah Jazz, Wednesday, April 13, 2016, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
photo Jay Greeson
Kobe Bryant said goodbye to the NBA on Wednesday night.

It's crazy to think, but the majority of his life has been spent in the league's spotlight.

At age 37, Bryant said goodbye after a high-paying final professional season - his 20th with the Lakers and overall - in which he shot a ton and scored a fair amount.

He was amazing and puzzling. His talent left little doubt about his place in history. His arrogance and petulance broke up arguably the best 1-2 punch in NBA history by forcing Shaquille O'Neal out of Los Angeles.

So what do we remember most about Kobe Bryant?

Was it the five titles he won with the Lakers? Maybe.

Was it his 81-point game, which ranks second all-time in NBA history? Was it the killer instinct that was rivaled only by Michael Jordan's in the modern era?

That answer is tough. It's tough because of the variables, as well as the hurdles Bryant encountered during his career, both in the game and outside of it. His legacy off the court was a rape accusation that went away, although there was a reportedly large civil suit settlement and an even larger diamond ring for his wife.

It's hard to imagine a sports culture in which NFL running back Ray Rice's actions and over-the-top contrition (he and his then-fiancée whom he punched are still married, mind you) is a bigger public albatross than Bryant's alleged antics in Colorado. Heck, former Clippers owner Donald Sterling paid a much bigger price than anything Bryant owed for being taped in secret making racial slurs and allegations against Magic Johnson.

In truth, Bryant got more of a pass than any other superstar athlete in the modern sports in the 24/7 news cycle. It happened, and then it was like it never happened. Heck, we were wringing our hands more about LeBron James' free agency decision than whatever Bryant did or didn't do, and whether he did or didn't have permission in that Colorado hotel room.

Think about that for a minute. One guy gets crucified for picking another team while one guy gets a pass after a rape allegation. (The criminal case was dropped when the accuser didn't want to testify. In an apology, Bryant said he believed the encounter was consensual but conceded that he understood the woman did not see it that way.)

All things considered, maybe that's the power of sports loyalty - Bryant is one of the all-time greats among the guys who spent a decades-long career with one team - and that's as crazy it sounds.

What does that leave us with in regard to Bryant's legacy?

He is arguably the second-best shooting guard (behind Jordan) in league history. He also was a cutthroat winner, becoming the NBA's best player in the waning seconds of tight games.

Know this: Bryant is not the best player of all time, not even at his position. But that's because he played the same spot as Jordan more than anything else. Still, he's in the team picture of the greatest players ever.

Beyond that, though, Bryant is one of the true success stories of the modern-day sports culture in which we know about supposed superstars in middle school. He was a high school wunderkind entering the 1996 draft. The Lakers stole him from the Charlotte Hornets, and the rest is history.

Sure, Tiger Woods was a star we watched grow up in front of us, and Ken Griffey Jr. was a name we knew before we knew what the name would come to represent.

But Bryant became a global star in a team sport before our eyes, and that's a factor that can't be undersold in today's sports culture.

He was a throwback star who was actually ahead of his time, ironically, on and off the court.

And on the court, he's one of the best players ever.

Contact Jay Greeson at jgreeson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6343. Follow him on Twitter @jgreesontfp.

Upcoming Events