As sports fans, we are always searching for that “next guy” who will take the reigns of his league and completely dominate anyone that attempts to stop him. It all began with the league’s original superstar, Elgin Baylor, descending down through the careers of Dr. J, Magic Johnson/Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.
Before His Airness hung up the famous #23 Bulls jersey in 1998, basketball fans around the world were already asking each other, “who’s the next Michael Jordan?” In the early-mid 90’s Penny Hardaway and Grant Hill were seen as possible successors to Air Jordan’s throne. However, sentiments in favor of Hardway and Hill were cut short, as both players suffered career-altering injuries, preventing them from ever reaching their full potential.
Following Hardaway and Hill came the next era of possible NBA alpha-dog suitors. This time, in a much more athletic, explosive and marketable mold as Tracy McGrady, Vince Carter and Kobe Bryant came on to take the league by storm at the start of the new decade.
While McGrady and Carter were undoubtedly inhumanly talented; however, their careers were slowed by injuries and they ultimately lacked the desire and determination that is required to become the best. Kobe, on the other hand, took a different route; combining arguably the greatest work ethic in sports history with a killer instinct and an untapped offensive arsenal to create the closest thing to Jordan anyone had seen since No. 23 himself ruled the court.
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Now that Kobe is (I cringe as I type this) nearing the latter portion of his spectacular (understatement) career, it’s about that time where people start bringing up the inevitable topic of discussion, “who is the next Kobe Bryant?”
Before we start drawing comparisons and dismissing nearly every player in the league from the conversation, it’s important to have a complete understanding of Kobe’s game, and what those attempting to mirror it are up against.
Next: The Elements of Kobe Bryant
Whether you love Kobe or you hate him, it’s impossible to argue against his position as a future first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and one of the greatest players of all-time. His never-ending list of achievements and records prevent anyone from doing so. I could bullet-point every award and record Kobe has accomplished during his career to make my point, but you can do that on Wikipedia or Basketball-Reference. Instead, I’m going to provide you with something you can’t find in his game logs or on his awards – the elements of Kobe Bryant.
It’s obvious Kobe is a superior offensive talent, as seen his career average of just over 25 points-per-game, as well as his obscene single-game scoring outputs (see: 81-point game). While his scoring numbers are definitely great, they are not what separates him from every other player who has averaged 30 points a game during a season.
What puts Kobe in a different category than the Adrian Dantley’s, the Allen Iverson’s and the Tracy McGrady’s, is the infinite number of ways he is capable of getting the ball in the hoop. Whether he chooses his “undefendable” turnaround, fade away jumper, a 30-foot three pointer or a spin move in the post that would make even Hakeem Olajuwon blush, his repertoire of offensive moves clearly make him one of the most unstoppable offensive forces to ever set foot on the hardwood.
Ask yourself this: how often does Bryant get locked up (no jokes people, I’m referring to on the court)? At the hands of another player, I could probably count the number of times on one hand since he entered his prime. Kobe has proven season after season, game after game, that the only person that can stop Kobe, is Kobe. He has displayed an uncanny ability to completely alter his game, so to be able to play through injuries and remain an effective asset to his team; this was shown last year, when he changed his shot, mid-season, to accommodate the mangled fingers on his shooting hand.
Finally, there are few players who have played in the league, who have accomplished more in the final minutes of an NBA game than Kobe Bryant. Over the last 10 years, he has become the routine answer to the question: “with the game on the line, who would you want taking the last shot?” It must be encoded in his DNA, but if there is any concern that the Lakers may lose the game, he automatically becomes dialed in.
He may not start hitting on all cylinders every time this happens, but I have frequently seen him flip a switch somewhere in his body, that causes him to catch fire, despite shooting terribly for three and a half quarters.
Whether it comes down to the fact that they don’t have the confidence to elevate their game or they just aren’t talented enough to do so, the ability to come through in the clutch as often as Kobe does is a very rare characteristic among NBA players. Only truly great players possess this quality, and Kobe is definitely one of them.
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Work ethic separates boys from men, good players from great players and stars from superstars. It’s the one aspect of a player’s mindset that takes no talent or skill, it only requires effort–solely the desire to improve and become the best. Any player can say he strives to be number one, but how many are actually willing to put in the work to do so? My guess would be not that many. Of that small percentage of players who have paired extreme talent with a great work ethic, once again, Kobe’s name comes to mind.
Kobe has spent every offseason since entering the league with his main focus on being better than he was the previous season. Whether that means adding ten pounds of muscle to his frame, extending his shooting range, becoming the team’s best post player or getting completely healthy, he continually makes a conscious effort to become the best, and remain the best. He’s willing to do whatever it takes, because his love and passion for the game is so strong, he wants to play at the highest level possible for as long as he physically can.
Don’t let me fool you; there have been plenty of successful players to engrave their name in the NBA history books. Plenty of which have been just as skilled and/or athletically gifted as Kobe is. That goes without saying, as we have recently seen athletic freaks of nature such as LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Vince Carter; as well as unbelievably skilled players in Tracy McGrady, Dirk Nowitzki and Carmelo Anthony.
While all of those players have been leaders on very good teams, none of them have proven to have “it”. “It” is the killer instinct in a player’s heart and soul. It’s a million dollar bill, and if you have it, you have what it takes to be the best. This is a characteristic that I have only seen in two, maybe three or four players, but primarily in Jordan and Kobe (with Larry Bird and Kevin Garnett being the other two).
Possessing the killer instinct means you fear no one and the only thing that matters in the world is having more points than your opponent every single night until you are crowned the champions of the world. And you will do so by any means necessary. This is what separates Kobe from everyone in the league today. It is what separated Jordan from everyone in the 1990’s. To be able to look the opponent in the eye and stick a knife through his chest and pull it out, without blinking. Even if Kobe is not at the top of his game on a given night, carrying this gem of a trait gives him the advantage. It is what makes people say, if Kobe’s on the floor, you can’t count his team out.
Next: Defining The “Next Kobe Bryant”
What does the “next Kobe Bryant” even mean? Is it a player who parallels Kobe’s skill, mentality and athleticism so closely that he causes people to mistake him for the other? If that’s how you define the “next Kobe Bryant”, don’t expect to see him anytime soon, because just as we waited about six years to see Jordan-like, it’ll likely be the same situation for whoever attempts to clone the Black Mamba.
However, if your definition lies within the outlook that the next Kobe Bryant is a player who may have a slightly different style of play, but dominates and wins in a similar manner to Mr. Bryant, you might not have to wait an unbearably long time.
Currently, there are a small number of players waiting in line to take the reigns to the league from Kobe. Regardless of who they are off of the court, they have established themselves as the true superstars of the NBA. Each of them are more than talented players, all born with prodigious athleticism to go along with an wide array of skills, causing the rest of the players in the league to salivate at what could have been theirs.
There’s no doubt that filling those yellow and black Nike Zooms will be a difficult task for anyone who tries, however, becoming the best is worth it if you have a similar drive to Mr. Bryant. Of the three players that come to mind when entering this discussion, only one seems to fit the description of the successor to the Mamba’s throne.
Next: Flash
At 28 years old and right smack dab in the middle of the prime of his career, Dwyane Wade is the closest player, achievement wise, to Kobe. He has one championship ring on his finger to go along with a Finals MVP trophy, which he took home in dominating fashion during the 2006 NBA Finals. The player dubbed “Flash” is easily among the top-five players in the NBA, which stems from him bearing one of the best all-around games in the NBA in terms of scoring, playmaking, rebounding and defending.
No matter what people say, he is the leader of the Super Friends. LeBron may be the better overall player, but it was Wade County before LeBron came to town, and as great as LeBron is, the people down in South Beach aren’t going to forget the title run Wade led in 2006. However, it is unlikely Wade will be in his prime long enough to achieve anything close to what Kobe finishes his career with.
He may have a Hollywood worthy cast surrounding him entering this season, but that may hurt his case more than help it, considering one of his new running mates is LeBron James, whose all-around numbers will undoubtedly be better than Wade’s.
Wade’s injury history and age don’t help his case either as he has missed 103 games over the course of his seven years in the league. Even if he does play until he’s 34 or 35 years old, how effective will he be? He’s a player whose athleticism is his biggest strength and once he starts to lose that, what will he be able to offer to his team?
It’s impossible to doubt him as a superstar player, but to say he’s going to fill Kobe’s shoes as the league’s greatest player is kind of a stretch. However, with LeBron and Chris Bosh providing him support for possibly the next five seasons, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him finish with three to five rings by the end of his career (however, I don’t expect him to finish with more than three).
Next: The “King”?
As much respect as I lost for LeBron James this summer, I would be crazy to deny him as one of the most talented and dominating individual players of all-time. Since he was a junior in high school, it was obvious the kid called “King” was going to be one hell of a NBA player. Including Magic Johnson, there had never been a player as big as a power forward but as athletic as a guard.
His inhuman physical characteristics instantly made him one of the league’s best players before he played his first NBA game. Fresh off of his second consecutive Most Valuable Player award, it appeared that Kobe was being succeeded earlier than people thought. However, with just a few words and a 60-minute special, LeBron threw away almost any chance he had at supplanting Mr. Bryant.
LeBron decision to trade his Cavs jersey for a Heat uniform does not make him a worse player or give reason to say he isn’t an outstanding one either. What his decision did was reveal his true character; it unveiled to everyone who he really was. Unfortunately, it was not the humble, mature and strong-willed player that he appeared to be. Instead, a coward was revealed. A player, who wanted to be king, wanted to be the chosen one and win championships at the same time.
He decided to “take his talents to South Beach” where he would be teamed up with fellow All-Stars in Wade and Bosh. He wouldn’t have to play against some of the best players in the conference any more, and now his opposition has to play against all three of them at once.
Kobe may do whatever it takes to win, but he would never leave his team to join a collection of other stars in an attempt to monopolize their way to a championship. Neither would Jordan, Bird or Magic. It’s just not in their nature. They feed off of the competition, off of beating each other and being able to hold bragging rights all throughout the offseason.
Essentially, LeBron WAS better than Kobe individually these past two seasons; he dominated the game in a way we have never seen and his all-around set of abilities trumped basically every player to play the game of basketball. I even said as the playoffs were beginning, “barring injury, the league is LeBron’s for the next six or seven years”. I just couldn’t imagine anyone else challenging him for that spot. He was going to be the best player of all-time.
However, his lack of any killer-instinct fully separates him from Kobe. No matter what you say about Bryant, even through the worst of times, he stuck it out in Los Angeles. Yes, he made brutal trade requests, but he never ended up forcing it. He stuck it out, and now he is closing in on Jordan’s six titles.
If LeBron ends up registering insane numbers and Miami goes on to win four or five titles, then his position can be reconsidered. But to be the alpha-dog of the league, you have to be the alpha-dog of your team first, and that remains to be seen in LeBron’s case.
Next: Durantula
The last hope to take the reigns lies in the hands of a 21-year old kid named Kevin Durant, or as others refer to him: “Durantula”. At six-foot-nine, Durant is one of the most talented offensive players to ever step on the hardwood. In addition to his immense set of skills, Durant is arguably the most humble superstar athlete in professional sports today. He’s early success and humility put him further ahead than Kobe was at 21. Although Kobe won his first title at 21, Durant is slowly becoming everyone’s favorite player–a perfect candidate for the new face of the league.
Durant makes scoring 30 points a game look easier than putting on pants, as his quickness, silky jumper and obscene seven-foot-four wingspan allows him to score on just about anybody. He’s arguably the best in the league at getting to the line and converting his free-throws (as he averaged just over 10 free throws a game this past season and converted on 90% of them).
His rebounding improves with every game he plays and his defense is slowly but surely becoming one of his many strengths. If there is one player as skilled as Kobe Bryant, it’s this kid.
The extent of Durant’s humility is so extensive that it could almost be viewed as a fault. He wants to win so bad, but he doesn’t want to shut out his teammates, so even though he is the best player on the floor 99% of the time, he defers to them, sometimes too often. It’s a tough call whether he has that killer-instinct or not, but he is unquestionably a great player and an even greater teammate.
He has a love for the game and wants to be the best player he can be, but he’s learned from the mistakes of those before him: be the best, but don’t make an ass of yourself while doing so. Jordan, Allen Iverson, Kobe all went through their bouts of immaturity and LeBron is experiencing his now. If Durant can somehow steer clear of that area (or do so minimally) the league is his.
He is already surrounded by a group of extremely talented and young players who have great chemistry together. If they are able to continue improving at the rate they have been, and keep gaining experience, they will be one of the toughest, most exciting teams in the league in no time. Durant has already shown his commitment to the franchise, signing a five-year extension with Oklahoma City. With the right pieces already around him, Durantula is in the perfect situation to make the NBA his, as expectations of multiple MVP awards and championships are quickly surrounding him.
He may not be the six-foot-six, 200+ pound shooting guard with daggers eyes and a “you don’t want to know what will happen if you piss me off” mentality. However, he is his own player. If he continues being who he is and maturing as a player, the NBA and its fans should welcome him with open arms as their new poster-child.
I never really got to see Michael Jordan play that much, so I have yet to fully understood the imprint he left when he retired in 1998. I’ve realized I cannot completely appreciate him as a player because I hardly witnessed his career.
However, with Kobe coming closer and closer to the end of his storybook tenure, with each seasons pass, I am beginning to grasp the feeling that everyone had when it was time to say good-bye to Michael Jordan. With that being said, I do not consider Kobe to be as great as Michael Jordan; instead I see him as a player who has truly altered this era of basketball in a way only a few have done and even fewer will be able to match.
Whoever does it; I’m excited to be able to witness it, as should everyone else who considers themselves basketball fans, because getting the chance to see players such as Magic, Bird, Jordan and Kobe only come around so often. They are doing the things we dreamed of doing every day as we shot hoops in our backyard as kids.