The Love/Hate Relationship With Kobe Bryant

Is Kobe Bryant the Greatest of all Time?Kobe Bryant has played 20 seasons in the NBA. He is a 5-time NBA Champion, a one time season MVP, a two-time Finals MVP, an 11-time All-NBA first team, a 9-time All-NBA defensive first team, an 18-time Allstar, and a 4-time Allstar Game MVP. On top of his accomplishments, he has played with some of the NBA's biggest names: Michael Jordan, Hakeem Olajuwon, Clyde Drexler, LeBron James, Shaquille O'Neal, Tracy McGrady, and many more. Kobe is one the most respected athletes of all-time. Kobe announced his retirement November 29th, 2015. Ever since then all thirty NBA teams have honored him and wished him goodbye. However, Bryant has not always been this liked. In fact, many fans, coaches, players, and owners hated Kobe.If you were rooting against the Lakers, you hated Kobe. You simply hated him because he made almost every shot he took and because he would trash talk all the players on your team. You would also hate him because of the dumb calls Kobe received. However, people have always had to respect him because of his work ethic and love of the game. Kobe was always an exciting guy to watch and he was someone that always attracted fans to watch him. As the end of Kobe's career made itself clear, fans and players everywhere turned their hate into love.Kobe's Farewell Tour revealed the impact Kobe has made on this league. When people think of legends, they think of the legacy the player leaves behind. Kobe has left an incredible legacy behind him in this league. Whether it is kids yelling "KOBE" as they shoot trash into a trash can or videos of his game-winners or even the 5 NBA Championships he won. When people think of great basketball players, Kobe's name shows up and will continue to show up. Many people say that Kobe is the closest thing to MJ the league has seen. Jalen Rose (ESPN Analyst) said this: "Michael is the Original. Kobe is the Remix." As Kobe leaves the league he will be missed by fans, player, coaches, and owners.