One of the reasons watching sports is so appealing to the American public is the countless stories of men and women overcoming adversity and even handicaps to achieve greatness.
In the NBA, many have lauded the story of LeBron James, who is 20 years into a sensational career that has seen him win four world championships, four regular-season MVPs and two Olympic gold medals while becoming the NBA’s all-time leading career scorer.
Not too long ago, the late Kobe Bryant put together a transcendent career of his own of 20 seasons, all of them with the Los Angeles Lakers, and becoming a worldwide icon.
Some have called James’ story from childhood to present the greatest in basketball history. But former big man and current ESPN personality Kendrick Perkins thinks Bryant’s story is even greater.
"When we talk about stories in NBA history or compare to LeBron James, Kobe Bryant got the best story in my opinion in NBA history."
Agree with @KendrickPerkins? 🤔
(via @FirstTake) pic.twitter.com/H0PIEt61Qu
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) July 7, 2023
“When it comes down to Kob winning three NBA championships with Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal), Kob was at his highest. … And all of a sudden, Kob was dealing with the situation he dealt with. Most people, when dealing with something when your livelihood is on the line, I wouldn’t have showed up to work — not to that capacity. Kob was still showing up to work and giving people their work on the floor. Giving people straight buckets. Throughout that period, he lost endorsements, hundreds of millions of dollars, he was getting booed in every arena, and he basically had to start from the bottom and work his way back to the top. And he did that in great fashion.”
Perkins witnessed part of Bryant’s story first-hand, as he played against him in the NBA Finals in 2008 and 2010 as a member of the Boston Celtics.
The stories of Bryant and James are like apples and oranges
Bryant had a privileged childhood as the son of a former NBA player, and it allowed him to focus on his craft starting as a toddler while having a comfortable upbringing that the vast majority of Americans can only dream of.
He even spent several of his formative years in Italy, which helped him become worldly beyond his years while allowing him to learn the game’s fundamentals.
As a young NBA superstar, Bryant fell from grace in 2003 when he was charged with sexual assault. He continued to play while the legal process played out, even though his liberty was at stake.
Even before 2003, many fans intensely disliked or even hated him for various reasons. Those reasons ranged from his perceived hubris to the fact that he was so successful at such a young age by winning three straight NBA championships in his early 20s.
It’s easy for fans today to forget or not realize that the Black Mamba was once the most hated athlete in America.
But Bryant fought through what was thought to be the type of predicament that would bury him, and he won two more NBA titles as “the man,” including one over the hated Celtics. That success later in his career made him an icon that has been revered by an entire generation of fans and players alike.
James, on the other hand, grew up financially disadvantaged while being raised by a single mother. He was blessed with more athleticism than all but a few human beings in recorded history, and he was inundated with enough hype to create a Category 5 hurricane — before he even turned 18.
But he has met that hype, and even at age 38 and with a gnarly amount of wear and tear, he could still add to his gaudy resume over the next few years.
What type of story does one prefer? Overcoming adversity as a professional to scale even greater heights and fulfill one’s destiny, or withstanding childhood poverty and the expectation of becoming the next best thing since sliced bread?
