The Emancipation of Kobe
To (Ko)be or not to (Ko)be … that’s the question. One that’s been hanging over our culture for far too long. Either people love him or hate him. There’s no middle ground.
We know the history. We know he’s a spoiled athlete that plays in Hollywood and never met a shot attempt he didn’t like. We know of his past, where he won fast and early, never had to really sweat because he had Shaq by his side to do the heavy lifting. We know of the rumors that he had Shaq shuttled to South Beach in an apparent power play with management.
We know of his Colorado sins, of his cheating and the rape allegations. We’ve heard the god-awful rapping and have seen the cocky swagger and aspiration to be the next Jordan.
We know all of this. But we also know of his talent. Of his ability. We know that he does his job better than almost everybody else. As far as basketball stars go, he’s super. And for most, that would be enough to give him a pass — although ironically, people don’t like him because he doesn’t.
And with all of that on the public record, the question remains:
Is it time for the emancipation of Kobe?
