A couple of people saying Kobe, but Kobe's been a little bit of a rollercoaster for me.
When he came into the league didn't like him. Already seemed like a diva forcing his way to LAL. Then there's the early accolades that I felt were shallow:
* All Star in 2nd year out of high school, ya but only because he was voted by fans, that doesn't really count. Diminishes what KG did the year before (being voted by coaches).
* In the playoffs right away and winning championships early, ya well that's what happens when you force yourself to a big market playoff team, and how come Shaq leaves and you suddenly miss the playoffs?
The biggest Kobe fans seemed as arrogant as he was!
But then during that '08-'10 run, he started to earn my respect, probably from the stories I was reading. Guys like Ron Artest would talk about how everyone's relaxing on the plane while Kobe's going over game film and pulling guys in to review their stuff with him. I was impressed. I can appreciate the guys work ethic. Started to earn my respect. And being able to maintain his production until age 34. Hats off to the man.
Now I'm back to not liking the guy. Since his retirement, I just see the super arrogance again now with shallow attempts at branding. I cringe so hard with those Mamba Mentality challenges.